BjA TL M QA.B 

B ETWEEN 

NAVY BAY 8LPANAMA 



-ZANILU 







THE 



ISTHMUS OF PANAMA 






AND 



WHAT I SAW THERE 



BY 

C. D. GKISWOLD, M. D., 

RECENTLY ONE OF THE SURGEONS OF THE P. R. R. CO. 



NEW YOEK : 
DEWITT AND DAVENPORT,. 

TRIBUNE BUILDINGS. 

• 1852. 

a r i p r-*» 



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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1851, by 

CHAUNCEY D. GRISWOLD, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern 

District of New York. 

5 190? 



l~£HQ&\ 



BAKER, GODWIN fe CO., PRINTERS, 
TRIBUNE BUILDINGS. 



,*\% IN j % *± »S 



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1 






TO JOHN LLOYD STEPHENS. 



;</<£ 



Years ago, when I first read your books on Central America, I felt 
that I had made a new acquaintance, who introduced me to a better 
knowledge of a strange land, and a peculiar people, with all that was 
known of a still more remarkable race, who left but tottering monu- 
ments to tell us that they have existed. 

Ilittle thought then that it- would ever be my privilege to know you, 
except as my instructor through your writings ; and much less did I 
think it were possible that I should ever sit down with you beneath 
the shade of the Palm, in the same sunny clime, bordering on the field 
of your former investigations, and there listen while you taught me 
many things which I was so glad to learn. 

Since commencing the preparation of these pages for the press, there 
is no name that has been more familiar in my thoughts than yours — 
not that we ever spoke one word together upon the subject, for I had 
not the task in contemplation when I saw you last— but because I re- 
gard more earnestly the authors of works on facts, than of fiction ; and, 
as a slight tribute to one of the most useful among the living writers, I 
crave the permission to dedicate this unpretending volume to you. 

Chauncey D. G-riswold. 
22 Warren street, .' 

2s£vr York, December,' 1851. \ 



n 



PREFACE. 



A life devoted almost exclusively to Medical Sci- 
ence as a profession, affords but little time for the 
cultivation of the necessary qualifications for a pop- 
ular writer ; and as such the author of these pages 
has never thought of venturing a claim. It has been 
his desire, in writing this work, to furnish the travel- 
ling public especially, with some needful information 
concerning the Isthmus of Panama, and thus making 
a useful, rather than a pleasing book. 

C. D. G. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE. 

Character of the Spanish Settlers — Agriculture the basis of 
National prosperity — Example of the Spaniard and the 
Puritan — First settlement on the Spanish Main — Discovery 
of the Pacific Ocean by Balbao — He founds the City of 
Panama — Porto Bello — Fort San Lorenzo . . . 9-14 

CHAPTER H. 

Further reasons of failure by the Spaniards — Sources of His- 
torical Information — Spain attempts to keep her Discove- 
ries a Secret — The Buccaneers — Peculiarities of the Buc- 
caneers ... . 15-21 

CHAPTER III. 

History of the Isthmus continued — Crusade of the Bucca- 
neers against Old Panama — Its plunder and destruction 
by Morgan and his men, in 1670 22-32 

CHAPTER IV. 

History continued — Scottish Darien Expedition — Spanish 
Measures against it — Its Fate — Boundaries of the Isthmus 
Panama — Its Population — Physical Aspect — Geological 
Observations 33-41 

CHAPTER V. 

The Rivers of the Isthmus — The Rio Chagres and its Tribu- 
taries — The Rio Grande — The Caimito — The City of 
Panama — Its present and past State — Its Improvement — 
The Harbor — Porto Bello — Chagres — Gorgona — Cruces — 
Chorrera, etc. ....,.*. 42-47 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Forests of the Isthmus— Their primeval State — The 
Palms — Different Varieties — Their Characteristics — The 
Blossoms and the Fruit — The various Products and their 
Uses — Indispensable to the Natives i . 48-54 



VI 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Forests — Gorgeous Vegetation — A peculiar Tree — The 
Cedro — Native Bungoes — Different Timbers of the Isth- 
mus — The India Rubber Tree — Method of collecting and 
preparing the Gum— The Milk Tree—The Calabash Tree 
— Objectional Feature of the Isthmus Forests . . 55-63 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Agricultural Prospects of the Isthmus — Its Natural Produc- 
tions — Cotton — Sugar-Cane — Tobacco — Plantains, Bana- 
nas and their Cultivation — Fruits — Chirimoyers — fine 
Apples — Alligator Pears and others — Medicinal Products 
— The Natives' Antidote for Snake Poison — Castor Oil 
Plant — Ipecacuanha, Sarsaparilla, &c 64-68 

CHAPTER IX. 

The Inhabitants of the Isthmus— What Nature has done for 
them — Their Food— Clothing — Means for travelling — 
Mestizoes — Their Character — Distinction from the Boat- 
men — Sas Bias Indians — Mendingoes — Their jealousy of 
Foreigners — Their Productions and Trade — Their method 
of catching Fish and removing the shells from Turtles — 
The Landholders and. their Landmarks — Rosas — Native 
Hotels — Dress of the Women — Smoking — Their Children 
—Their Ideas of the Future 69-75 

CHAPTER X. 

The Domestic Animals — Cows—Horses — Mules — Hogs — 
F ow l s _Dogs— Wild Animals— Monkeys— Wild Hogs— 
The Tapir, Ocelot, Jaguar, Bears, &c — Birds and their 
Habits— The Toucon— The Parrot Tribe— The Scarlet 
Macaw — Humming Birds and their Habits — Aquatic Birds 
— Reptiles — Alligators, Boa Constrictors, Ignanos, &c. . 76-81 

CHAPTER XI. 
The Insect Tribes— A Forest Walk— An Ant's path— Their 
Habitation — Manner of Working — Queen Ant — Their 
System of Government — Rules of Warfare — The Comi- 
j ens— Their Distinctive Habits— Butterflies— Moths— Ta- 
rantulas — Scorpions — Fire-Flies and Lantern-Bugs — 
Sand-Flies and Fleas— Garrapattas— Chigoe or Jigger— 
Musketoes, &c 82-88 

CHAPTER XU. 
The Climate of the Isthmus— Its influence on Health— Pre- 
disposing and Exciting causes of Disease— The Precau- 



CONTENTS. Vll 



PAGE. 



tions necessary in Avoiding them — Character of the Dis- 
eases—Habits of the Natives when Sick. . . . 89-100 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Inter-communication between tbe Atlantic and Pacific — Ad- 
vantages to Commerce — To the Growth and Prosperity of 
the Pacific States — New lines of Steamships — Their effect 
in meliorating the Condition of Mankind .... 101-107 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Proposed Route for a Ship Canal — Isthmus of Tehuantepec 
— Nicaragua — Panama — Relative advantages of Nicaragua 
and Panama — Navigation of the River Chagres and River 
San Juan — Opinions of Travellers — Reason why they are 
so often diverse — Advantages of the Harbor of Navy Bay. 108-115 

CHAPTER XV. 

Former Views concerning a Railroad across the Isthmus — 
Reasons for a change of Opinion — Organization of the Pa- 
nama Railroad Company — First Steps taken for the Prose- 
cution of the Work — Its Magnitude — Manzanilla Island — 
The Harbor — Prospective Town — Prospects of Business — 
Changes already Effected — The Future — Sketches of the 
Isthmus 116-121 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Leaving New York — Arrival at Havana — Appearance of the 
Harbor— The City — The Moro Castle — Passports— A 
Night in the Harbor — Architecture of the City — Volantes 
—The Bishop's Garden, &c 122-129 

CHAPTER XVII. 

An unpleasant Dilemma, for which there is no remedy — The 
highlands of the Isthmus — Chagres — Fort San Lorenzo — 
Disembarkation — The Boatmen — Pitiable plight of the 
Ladies— Going up the River — Going to Navy Bay — First 
Morning on the Island — The Coral Insect — Crabs — Tem- 
perature of the Climate 130-135 

CHAPTER XVIH. 

Leaving Navy Bay, Chagres, Fort San Lorenzo — Arrival at 
Gatun Station — Resume our Journey in a Small Boat — A 
Night at Dos Herminos— An Early Start— The River by 
Moonlight — Appearance of Moruing — Breakfasting at 
Ahorca Lagata — The River Scenery — Arrival at Bujio 
Saldado 136-142 



Vlll CONTENTS. 



CH AFTER XIX. 

Bujio Saldado— The Station Buildings — The Ravine— A 
Torrent — A Professional Call — Sharp Practice among the 
Natives — An Alcalde's House and what it Contained — 
His Wife, and how she made Soup 143-148 

CHAPTER XX. 
Why a Swiss loves his Native Country — When Days come 
Slow, and go Wearily — River Travel — How we took in 
Strangers, and were taken in Ourselves — Our Neighbors — 
How to preserve Beef — A new Patient — Senor Sipreon's 
House, and what he Eat, and how he Cooked it — My 
Patient's case grows Desperate — He prepares to Die, but 
does not do it — Natives' notions of Railroads . . . 149-153 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Leaving Bujio Soldado— A Day on the Chagres River — Ar- 
rival at Navy Bay — Visiting the Minde Swamp — Native 
Cooking — Gathering Cocoanuts, &c., &c. . . . 154-158 

CHAPTER XXII. 

Leaving Navy Bay — The Rolling Sea and Tropic Summer 
without Change — The Steamer that could not go up the 
River, and consequently went down — A Day on the 
Chagres in a Canoe going up — Shooting Game on the 
River — A queer Bird — An attack of Fever . . . 159-163 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Ahorca Lagata — A Thunder Storm — Another Visit to 
Chagres — Appearance of Manzanilla, going out of the 
Harbor — Captain Chapman and his Adventures — A 
Wreck of Humanity — A Trip down the Bay after Shells — 
A Speck at Sea, and what it turned out to be — Departure 
Homeward 164-168 

CHAPTER XXIV. 
Jamaica — The Harbor at Kingston — Water Imps — Fruits — 
A Ride to Spanish Town — How we got a Dinner, and paid 
for it— The Public Square— Desolation .... 169-172 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 



CHAPTEE I. 



Character of the Spanish settlers— Agriculture the basis of National 
prosperity — Example of the Spaniard and the Puritan — First set- 
tlement on the Spanish Main — Discovery of the Pacific Ocean by 
Balbao — He founds the City of Panama — Porto Bello — Fort San 
Lorenzo. 

Although the History of the Isthmus of Panama 
records many remarkable events, and the ruins of 
ancient towns and fortifications show that this has 
been deemed valuable territory, and occupied by a 
wealthy population, yet nothing is more evident than 
that its settlers were actuated by the love of ad- 
venture, and that their pursuit was for gold. 

While Spain, with her almost inexhaustible re- 
sources, was sending her colonists to this country, 
and the fertile islands of the West Indies, and gath- 
ering rich harvests of gold, and building fortifica- 
tions for her protection and permanence, the hardy 
Puritans were struggling for a simple subsistence by 
2 



10 THE ISTHMUS OP PANAMA. 

cultivating the rugged soil upon the northern coast. 
The one trusted for the future upon her soldiers and 
riches, while the other established the foundation of 
a great and permanent commonwealth, by cultivat- 
ing the soil. The Puritans were the fathers of a 
people that now extend across this broad continent, 
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and have built up 
countless cities, and established commercial relations 
with every other nation ; while the Spanish colonies 
have been depopulated, and bear but feeble traces of 
a once powerful existence. 

Such has ever been the history of communities 
who neglected agriculture as the great source of 
wealth. A beneficent Providence has made the 
cultivation of the soil one of the chief means on which 
depend a nation's prosperity and advancement ; but 
the Spaniard neglected this, and after having skim- 
med the mines of their surface gold, or become dis- 
appointed in its pursuit, left the country the same 
almost unbroken forest that he found it, and so it 
remains to this day. 

About the year 1510, Yasques Nunes de Balbao 
established the town of Santa Maria on the Darien 
Gulf. This person, whose career was brilliant, al- 
though short, had owned an estate in Hayti, where, 
having become involved in some difficulty with the 
government, he was sentenced to be executed ; but 
he escaped by secreting himself in a bread-cask, on 
board a vessel about to sail on an expedition to 
" capture Carthagena, Yeragua, and other western 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 11 

countries." The vessel on which he was secreted was 
commanded by one Enciso, and was subsequently 
wrecked off St. Sebastian, after having visited Car- 
thagena. By the energy and perseverance of Balbao, 
it was finally got off, and set sail, under his charge, 
for the coast, of which he took formal possession in 
the name of the Spanish monarch, and commenced 
the town of Santa Maria. In the meantime, he had 
gained a perfect ascendency over Enciso, the origi- 
nal master of the ship. In the middle of September, 
1513, he, in company with the afterwards celebrated 
Francis Pizarro, started on an expedition inland, 
which resulted in the discovery of the Pacific Ocean, 
and the founding of the important city of Panama. 
" On reaching the shore, he walked into the sea up 
to his middle, with his armor on, and solemnly per- 
formed the ceremony of taking possession, in the 
name of the crown of Castile, of the ocean which he 
had discovered." 

Balbao possessed, in a remarkable degree, the 
faculty of controlling the passions of men, was 
always kind and attentive to the sick, and conse- 
quently popular with his subjects ; yet, notwith- 
standing all this, and the large amounts of gold he 
sent home, which he fairly purchased of the natives, 
he was finally beheaded on a charge of having cut 
down trees to build a town, without the governor's 
license. It is scarcely necessary to say, that this 
loyal murder was instigated by those who were jeal- 
ous of his popularity, and envious of his honors. 



V2 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

Thus perished, in 1517, a good man, who had done 
his country more valuable service than any other, 
excejDt Cortes — a victim of designing knavery — at 
the age of forty-two years. Pedrairas, who was the 
principal plotter against Balbao, succeeded him at 
Panama, and after having committed many atrocities, 
and causing more destruction of Spanish lives in his 
mismanaged wars, than did Cortes in his conquest 
of Mexico, finally, from jealousy, had Hernandes, 
who conquered the territory of Nicaragua under 
him, put to death. While there is judgment and 
justice in heaven, why need we wonder that Spain 
was never prospered in her American possessions, 
after having treated the great discoverer as she did, 
and afterwards executing, on such pretences, his just 
and enterprising followers, to give power to the 
treacherous instigators of the crimes ? 

Panama, when discovered by Balbao, was an 
Indian village, which gave place to the city, the 
ruins of which are now known as Old Panama, and 
which was destroyed by the buccaneers, under Mor- 
gan, in 1670. During the prosperity of the old 
city, Porto Bello was built on the Beautiful Harbor, 
which its name implies, about twenty-five miles east 
of Navy Bay, and was made the northern terminus 
of a paved mule-road from Panama, which to this 
day remains, at some points, in a state of tolerable 
preservation, while at others all traces of it are swept 
away. The most remarkable statements have been 
made respecting this place, as a depot for the trade 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 13 

of the South American Pacific coast. That it was 
made the shipping port for the products of the South 
American mines, in a great measure, there may be 
no doubt ; but that " bars of silver and ingots of 
gold were piled in the streets, without fear or anxiety 
for their safety," we can hardly credit, even in this 
golden age, although all this is positively asserted ; 
and that " gorgeous displays of specie were witnessed 
in these times," and that trade was so abundant and 
profitable, that " the rent of a floor in some of the 
houses cost the prodigious sum of one thousand dol- 
lars per month," is scarcely credible. The writer 
we quote remarks, that this was " her golden age." 
It must have been, for she looks very unlike it now. 
A very strong fortification was built here, the walls 
of which are in a tolerably good state of preservation 
to this time ; but there is no need of her watch-tow- 
ers or sentinels now, for no one goes there who can 
keep it, there being no inducement to do so ; and, 
moreover, from the reputed unhealthiness of the 
place, it is avoided as much as possible. The town 
is built at the foot of high mountains, and the harbor 
is so land-locked that the sea breeze is mostly shut 
out, consequently the causes of disease are not only 
generated, but retained there. It was, probably, 
during those brilliant days of Porto Bello, that the 
Fort San Lorenzo was built at the mouth of the 
Chagres River. How different must have been 
the scenes at these places, while the busy sounds of 
the builders were to be heard in these stupendous 



14 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

works, which now stand in solemn silence, hoary 
with age, proud monuments of architectural skill, 
upon whose ramparts lie prostrate, to this day, the 
heav}^ guns that once thundered forth the laws of an 
invading race, "but are now as inoffensive and pow- 
erless as so many fallen trees. 



CHAPTER II. 

Further reasons of Failure by the Spaniards — Sources of Historical 
Information — Spain attempts to keep her discoveries a secret — 
The Buccaneers — Peculiarities of the Buccaneers. 

Theee are, undoubtedly, other reasons than such as 
are hinted at in the last chapter for the slow ad- 
vancement, or retrogression, and the present condition 
of the Spanish settlements in both North and South 
America. The Spanish united with an indisposi- 
tion to till the soil, and a sort of Don Quixote chiv- 
alry, which is of very little value in practical affairs, 
a constitutional and hereditary lack of enterprise, 
which will render them, according to some of the 
wise prophets of our time, as much the subjects of 
the Saxons as the old Iberians were of the Romans. 
They are, unhappily for themselves, without the pro- 
gressive element, and this, when the world is rush- 
ing forward at its present pace, is to be without the 
first principle of national respectability, or even of 
national existence. How easily the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama may be made rich and populous, I trust will 
soon be seen, from the new influences that are ope- 
rating there. The present changes in its condition 
are scarcely less important than the most radical and 
striking from the days of Balbao. 



16 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

Since the beginning of that tide of emigration 
across the Isthmus of Panama, which results from 
the discovery of the gold region in California, and 
the greater interest which has been felt in this little 
but important territory by capitalists, who have con- 
templated by some means the establishment of con- 
nections between - the Atlantic and Pacific, there 
has been no lack of historical notices, as well 
as descriptions of its surface, &c. ; but I have seen 
scarcely any thing that bears a mark of original in- 
vestigation, or that has any material freshness even 
of expression. The old gazetteer and encyclopedia pa- 
ragraphs have been constantly re-produced. And as 
my object is not so particularly to oifer a history of 
Panama as it is to place in the hands of emigrants 
some needful and interesting descriptions of the 
Isthmus, its phenomena, resources, &c, I shall not 
attempt much originality on this point. From a re- 
cent number of Chambers's " Papers for the People," 
the facts in the present chapter are for the most part 
derived, and these facts may at least entertain the 
reader, though he cherish a far greater anxiety 
respecting what is present, and what he will have to 
encounter, if he shall for any purpose go there. 

There was something magnificently ludicrous in 
the notion which the rulers of Spain conceived — of 
keeping the discoveries of the immortal Genoese a 
close secret to themselves. That this idea was se- 
riously entertained, there can be no doubt. In 1517, 
an English merchant-ship which made St. Domingo, 
was fired at by the new authorities there, and driven 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 17 

away. The news of this incident occasioned great 
consternation in the councils of the home govern- 
ment; and although the zeal of the governor of St. 
Domingo was duly commended, it was gravely sug- 
gested that the wiser course would have been to have 
siezed the vessel and detained the crew, as it was 
now much to be feared that the sailors would not 
only, on their return to Europe, report their disco- 
very, but teach others the route to the golden pos- 
sessions of his Catholic .Majesty. This brilliant 
scheme of locking up the two Americas as " treasure 
trove " for the especial use and enjoyment of the 
finders not succeeding, it was determined to fortify 
the imaginary right of the monarchs of Spain to the 
undisturbed sovereignty and possession of countries 
of which no European had yet surveyed a hundredth 
part of the coast line, by the authority of the church. 
In 1524, Pope Alexander VI., the father of the Bor- 
gias — Lucretia and Csesar — issued a bull, solemnly 
conferring the Americas, or ISTew Indies, as they 
were termed, with all adjacent islands, on the king 
of Spain and his successors. This gift of the head 
of the church, those monarchs applied all the power 
they could command to enforce and maintain, and 
they consequently soon found themselves in collision 
with thousands of the hot and adventurous spirits of 
Europe, who, despite the spiritual and temporal 
thunders wielded by the Spanish monarchs, resolved 
at all hazards on securing a share of the glittering 
prize which the genius and daring of the navigators 
of various climes had brought within the reach of a 
2* 



18 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

dazzled and astonished world. In 1526, two years 
after the issue of the bull, a Mr. Tyson was deputed 
to the new countries as agent for a company of Eng- 
lish merchants. He was abundantly successful, and 
private enterjDrise was of course stimulated into great 
and constantly increasing activity, by the profits 
which accrued to the adventurers. To check the au- 
dacity of the trespassers upon his new dominions, 
the sovereign of Spain instituted a coast guard, 
whose duty it was to capture and slay all intruders 
upon the shores of the Spanish main and West India 
islands. A more hopeless task, powerful as Spain 
was before her gold and silver discoveries, can scarce- 
ly be imagined. To aid the otherwise altogether in- 
sufficient efforts of the guarda-costas, the terror of 
mutilation and torture was superadded to that of 
death, by the Spanish authorities, and Europe 
rang with the stories, doubtless somewhat exag- 
gerated, of cruelties practiced by the Spaniards 
upon the luckless traders who fell into their 
hands. These iniquities were retorted upon the 
perpetrators with abundant interest. The American 
seas speedily swarmed with buccaneers, nibusters* 
— Brethren of the Coast — consisting of English, 
Scotch, "Welch, and Frenchmen, whose self-imposed 
mission it was, whilst enriching themselves by trade 

* The origin of these names is curious enough. Flibustier, the 
French term, is a corruption of the English word Freebooter 5 and the 
term Buccaneer arose from the name " Boucan," by which the Barib- 
bean Indians designated meat which they taught the t( Brethren of the 
Coast'' to preserve in a peculiar manner, and which constituted the 
chief portion of the rover's foed. Hence *' Boucanier'' — Buccaneer. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 19 

and plunder, to avenge upon the Spaniard whatever 
wrong or cruelty he had inflicted upon their country- 
men. These desperadoes soon became extremely 
formidable, and the entire power of Spain, fiercely 
and lavishly exerted, proved utterly insufficient to 
seriously check, much less to put them down. One 
man, a Frenchman by the name of Montbar, was so 
excited by a recital of the cruelties practiced by the 
Spanish authorities, that he sold all he possessed, 
fitted out a vessel, sailed to the American coast, and 
became ultimately so terrible by his retaliatory ex- 
cesses, as to acquire amongst the " Brethren" the dis- 
tinguishing title of " The Exterminator." A strange 
mixture of generous daring and remorseless cruelty 
appears to have characterised the doings of these 
men ; and their religion, in a certain sense, was oc- 
casionally as conspicuous as their ruffianism. A 
French captain, of the English name of Daniel, shot 
one of his crew for disrespectful behaviour during 
the celebration of mass ; Captain Richard Sawkins 
threw all the dice in his ship overboard when he 
found he could not otherwise prevent his sailors 
from gambling on the Sunday; and the first thing 
Captain John Watling did, on assuming command, 
was to order his freebooters to keep holy the Sabbath 
day. These gentlemen did not, it must be remem- 
bered, wait to be themselves attacked, nor did they 
confine themselves to retaliation upon the Spanish 
authorities and forces for injuries inflicted upon 
others. They pounced upon every Spanish ship or 
settlement they were able to master, and commenced 



20 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

business the instant they arrived on the scene of ac- 
tion ; in order, to use their own expression, to pay 
themselves beforehand (se dedommager d'avance) 
for any mishaps which might in the future befall 
themselves or their countrymen. The arrogant pre- 
tensions of Spain were also resisted by the sovereigns 
of England, though feebly and inefficiently ; and it 
was not only in the harbor of Cadiz that Elizabeth's 
sailors, in Drake's expressive phrase, " singed the 
whiskers" of the projector of the Armada. Ihe 
English queen ridiculed the Spaniards' assumption 
of exclusive sovereignty over regions which they 
could not even pretend proximately to occupy ; 
James and Charles held the same doctrine; and 
Northern America, which Spain, finding no gold 
there, cared little about, was gradually colonized. 
The effective chastisement of the Spaniards in the 
American seas, was reserved for the strong hand of 
Cromwell. Beneath the shadow of his terrible name 
the infant states dwelt in peace ; the island of Ja- 
maica was wrested from Spain ; and the buccaneers 
were astonished and displeased to find their vocation 
suddenly gone by the appearance of the Protector's 
admirals in the waters where the flag of England had 
never before waved in triumph and supremacy. The 
Restoration once more changed the aspect of affairs, 
and the sea-rovers and their foes were again engaged 
in incessant conflict. This was the period of the cele- 
brated Sir Henry Morgan's exploits, the most re- 
doubtable of the Brethren of the Coast, and a gen- 
tleman who, for his great and varied merits, or the 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 21 

presents he conferred on Lady Castelmaine, was not 
only knighted by Charles II., but invested with the 
deputy-governorship of Jamaica, and the presidency 
of the Admiralty Court there ; in which capacities 
he had the pleasure and satisfaction of hanging a 
considerable number of his old friends and comrades 
who were so ill advised as to persist in a course which 
had led their old leader to dignity and fortune. The 
scene of the principal exploit of this desperado was 
the Isthmus of Panama. 



CHAPTER III. 

History of the Isthmus continued — Crusade of the Buccaneers against 
Old Panama— Its plunder and destruction by Morgan and his men, 
in 1670. 

Among- the few modern writers who have contributed 
to redeem the history of this country from the ob- 
livion to which it was fast sinking, the well-known 
Dr. Theller is deserving honorable mention for the 
service he has done in this field of inquiry. I fre- 
quently encountered him on the Isthmus, and am in- 
debted to him for the particulars of the important 
episode connecting with this region the name of 
Morgan. 

The history of that period, on this coast, and all 
that was then known as the " Spanish Main," is but 
one series of aggressions on the Spanish possessions, 
and the Spanish shipping returning home, by nu- 
merous bands of men known as " Freebooters," or 
" Filbustiers." Among them was one desperate char- 
acter, named Morgan, an Englishman. He was the 
most reckless and bloodthirsty among thousands 
whose passion was blood, and whose trade was rob- 
bery. After having desolated a goodly number of 
the young Spanish towns on the main coast of the 
Caribbean Sea, he thought he would visit Panama on 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 23 

the Pacific — then allowed to be the richest city on 
the continent. He issued a proclamation, calling 
npon all the adventurers, English and French, who 
resided in Jamaica, Tortugas Islands, and St. Do- 
mingo, to assemble on a certain day, when he would 
inform them of an adventure that would enrich them 
all, and allow them — if any wished — to return to 
England or France, and spend the rest of their days 
in opulence and peace. 

The place chosen for the rendezvous was Port 
Gongon, on the south of St. Domingo ; and on and 
before the day, vessels from all quarters, full of daring, 
bold men, were to be seen entering the little harbor. 
Morgan, in his own twenty-four gun frigate, the 
a Kite," arrived on the day ; and when he unfolded 
his plans to the assembled buccaneers, and asked for 
volunteers, all rushed forward to his standard. He 
was elected commander-in-chief on land, and admi- 
ral on water. He appointed a commander for each 
vessel, and set sail with thirty-seven vessels, and 2,200 
men. Their course was directed towards the island 
of St. Catharine, which they took, and where they 
found three prisoners that had been sent from Pan- 
ama, whom Morgan decided should act as guides 
for him, promising them freedom and money, if 
faithful ; instant death, if treacherous. Captain 
Bradelet, a Frenchman, with four vessels, was sent 
to take possession of Fort San Lorenzo, at the mouth 
of Chagres river. The fort was taken after a despe- 
rate resistance ; out of three hundred men who gar- 
risoned it, only fourteen were left alive, the rest 



24 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

having fallen in the hand to hand conflict in repel- 
ling the frequent assaults of the freebooters. 

Morgan gave orders to repair the fort, and left 
500 men for its defence, and 150 men on board the 
vessels, to guard the harbor, and prepare for any- 
emergency. He prepared a fleet of canoes, and with 
about 1,300 daring followers, and a few pieces of 
light artillery, he ascended the Chagres river, amid 
the shouts and good wishes of that part of his little 
army that he left behind. The voyage was perilous and 
tedious. They had little or no provisions with them, 
and the flying Spaniards had destroyed or driven 
away everything which could nourish or sustain 
life. Besides, on their arrival at Cruces, they 
found that that place had been fired by the retreating 
Spaniards, and they had to get along as best they 
could. The mosquito fleet of canoes were sent back 
to Chagres, with enough men to guard them, and 
with whatever was bulky or heavy, that would im- 
pede the rest in a journey across the Isthmus. They 
left Cruces in high spirits, and twelve hours after 
were gratified with the sight of the glittering spires 
of Panama, but at the same time they perceived a 
large ship and five smaller ones departing for the 
Island of Taboga, and carrying with them part of the 
wealth they had already counted as their own. On 
Hearing the city, they found a large force of armed 
Spaniards awaiting their arrival — nearly quadruple 
their own number. Morgan addressed his men ; he 
pointed to the ships carrying away the treasure, but 
reminded them of that of the churches, and the large 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 25 

masses of gold that had accumulated in the hands of 
the merchants ; that the whole Spanish army stood 
before them, and that now was the time for them to 
acheive a splendid victory, or be totally annihilated. 
The Spanish force was a splendid looking body 
of men, dressed in silks and satins, and riding mag- 
nificent horses, but when the rough, ferocious-looking 
buccaneers had grappled with them their " hour had 
come." Of the Spanish cavalry but fifty men escaped. 
The infantry, seeing the manner in which the cavalry 
were treated, after a few vollies, did not wait for the 
charge, but began to run in all directions, pursued 
with tiger-like ferocity by the the buccaneers, who 
killed hundreds of them while flying. An officer 
taken prisoner, told Morgan that the city was de- 
serted, most of the women, children, and treasure 
sent to Taboga, and that the Governor had left to 
defend the place, 3,000 infantry, 400 cavalry, and 
600 Indians. This army was defeated and cut to 
pieces by Morgan, with a loss of two men killed and 
two wounded. The old city of Panama fell into his 
hands after a battle of two hours, against a force 
quadruple to his own. To prevent his men from 
getting drunk, lest they might be surprised and 
taken, he told them that the wine and other liquors 
had been poisoned by the priests. He sent, under 
the command of an English captain, in a small ves- 
sel, (which they took in the act of cutting her cable), 
a party of twenty-five men to the Island of Taboga, 
to fire all the houses on the island, and to bring back 
the vessels that had left. Next day the party re- 



26 TPIE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

tured, bringing with them three of the larger ships, 
laden with specie and valuable goods. They had 
found, besides, about a hundred mules loaded with 
the same cargoes, trying to push into the interior of 
the island to secrete them. For three weeks did the 
whole party remain in Panama, collecting all the 
valuables they could find, and making excursions 
in the surrounding country for the same purpose, that 
were highly successfuj. The prisoners were held to 
ransom, according to their wealth, which contributed 
much to the general fund. On leaving Panama, 
the amount of baggage was immense, and required a 
strong guard. Whether it was to punish the Span- 
iards for some past actions, or for some newly dis- 
covered treachery among the citizens, is not known, 
but Morgan took 500 of them with him as prisoners, 
and ordered the city to be fired. After two days, 
they arrived at Cruces, where the prisoners were 
ransomed, and allowed to return, while the bucca- 
neers descended the river to Chagres, where there 
was a division of the spoil ; Morgan's share being 
sufficient to keep him in Jamaica, the rest of his 
days were spent in a style of lavish hospitality, and 
in dispensing his wealth in the most liberal man- 
ner on all objects that attracted his admiration. 

Thus Panama — " The Old," as the natives call 
it — fell, and it remains in ruins down to this day. 
The inhabitants preferring a locality more defenci- 
ble, chose the site of the present city (six miles dis- 
tant), and in that year, (1670), commenced their 
buildings and defences. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 27 

True to the policy of Spain in all her transatlantic 
possessions, her governors were always soldiers, and 
the sites of her cities were invariably chosen more 
with reference to military resources than for com- 
merce. A good harbor, where a ship could lie close 
to the shore, and receive or discharge her cargo, was 
a thing to be dreaded. Oh, no ! choose some spot 
on an open roadstead, where no vessel of any burthen 
can approach nearer than cannon shot, and would 
have to embark or disembark in small boats, giving 
time to the garrison to sink them if an enemy. In 
reference to these views the present site of the city 
was chosen. 

The fear of death or of further robbery by the 
freebooters, had the effect upon the houseless in- 
habitants of driving from their minds much of the 
sadness they naturally felt for their recent loss, 
and set them to work with alacrity in building up 
and fortifying their new city ; at the same time, it is 
but natural to believe, that after the fatigues of the 
day, they could not but regret the comforts of which 
they had so recently been bereft. Their " Beautiful 
City," with its six thousand houses, constructed of 
cedar wood — its eight convents — its cathedral — its 
hospital, and its numerous gardens and villas, owned 
by its wealthy merchants, that stretched far into the 
surrounding country — their haciendas, where they 
could retire at different seasons— their mines of gold, 
worked by their negro slaves, brought by the Geno- 
ans, many of whom had been captured and retained 
by themselves were all sources of melancholy ; but 



28 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

all was gone, and their repining was altogether use- 
less.- 

Perseverance and incessant toil soon surrounded 
them again with the comforts they had lost ; and the 
security they felt in their new and now partially for- 
tified home, made them forget their old one, when, 
after a lapse of fifteen years, they were again af- 
frighted with the intelligence that the freebooters 
were in their vicinity, and, doubtless, would revisit 
them. Spies were sent out, and returned giving an 
account of a number of the ships of the freebooters 
at anchor, about thirty leagues below, at a place 
called the King's Islands. Hourly expecting an at- 
tack, they prepared themselves (this time behind 
their entrenchments) to receive the enemy warmly. 

The fleet of the buccaneers was composed of ten 
vessels — two frigates, four ships, three barks, and a 
brig. Out of the ten commanders, eight were Eng- 
lish, one French, and the other Dutch — the last, call- 
ed David, was their admiral. The total number of 
men was eleven hundred. 

The greater part of these vessels had been captur- 
ed by some Englishmen under David, and brought 
through the Straits of Magellan to the Pacific. Their 
principal object was not, however, to attack the new 
city, but to lie in wait for the Spanish fleet, which at 
that season of the year (April) was coming from Lima 
to Panama. Still, to keep his men employed, rather 
than have them gambling on board, in idleness, the 
admiral had no objection to their doing a little land 
service, where something could be gained, with little 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 29 

loss of life or time. He would not allow them to at- 
tack the newly fortified city then, bnt chose rather 
to send ia.ve hundred of them in boats to attack 
another smaller pueblo called " Seppa," or " Chiapa," 
which they did, but found little treasure in it ; so 
little, indeed, that they considered the expedition 
" a great loss of time and of very little profit." On 
the 8th of May the fleet weighed anchor, and passed 
Old Panama, which had been destroyed fifteen years 
before, by Morgan and a great many of the older men 
on board. They sailed slowly, passed the new city 
out of gun range, and, after some time, went down 
to the Island of Taboga, which place, the historian 
says, seemed to be an enchanted spot, on account of 
the beauty and variety of its vegetation, and by the 
neat, little, deserted villas, built by the inhabitants 
of Panama. They waited there some weeks for the 
Spanish fleet, which, at length, on the 17th of May, 
appeared in sight. The freebooters put to sea, 
and prepared for the combat. On drawing near 
them, the Spaniards, had they had any doubts be- 
fore, were soon^informed who were their enemies ; 
as well from the appearance of their ships, as from 
that ominous flag — the Skull and Cross-Bones, the 
piratical emblem under which so many atrocities 
had been committed. In answer to this, the royal 
standard of Castile and Leon was given to the wind ; 
and, more significant still, could be seen the Spanish 
officer nailing this flag to the mast. 

The buccaneers advanced boldly to the fight. 
The cheers of the men and their extravagant mani- 



30 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

festations of joy, showed that, in their own estima- 
tion, victory was sure to be theirs, and that the hopes 
they entertained were about to be realized. The 
Spaniard would not allow the buccaneers to ap- 
proach too closely, but kept his distance — his supe- 
rior metal raking the adversary at every shot, while 
from the distance, the artillery of the other was com- 
pletely powerless. David and his men could stand 
this no longer, but broke through shot and shell to 
grapple with their prize. For a long time the battle 
was contested and interrupted by various circum- 
stances. At the commencement, the Spaniards had 
the advantage; and had they had a commander 
equal to any of those of the opposing ships, the result 
would have been different. Both parties withdrew 
■ — the Spaniards under the shelter of the guns of the 
ramparts of the city, while the others sailed up the 
coast, and in a few days appeared again, with their 
vessels repaired and themselves recruited in spirits, 
ready to resume the contest. The Spaniard had, 
meantime, fortified a part of the city, and placed 
some very heavy artillery that would bear directly 
upon the ships of the buccaneers, and under the pro- 
tection of these guns did the Spanish fleet lie, while 
the enemy tauntingly sailed about the harbor and 
kept them for weeks in a state of blockade, with a 
force so vastly their inferior. 

The " masterly inactivity" of the Don overcame 
the patience of David and his men, and they for a 
while agreed to abandon the blockade, and go on 
small expeditions along the coast, sacking cities, pil- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 31 

laging vessels, and whatever other honest-like means 
they conld turn their hands to, and that would pro- 
cure them treasure worthy of their notice. One of 
the most important of these expeditions was directed 
against the city of Eaeljo, then a place of some im- 
portance, about 800 miles west of Panama. The 
city was taken, sacked, and burned in October, with 
a considerable number of small towns and villages 
in the neighborhood, from which much treasure was 
obtained. 

Early in the year 1686, the buccaneers returned 
with their fleet, now somewhat augmented by the 
Spanish prizes they had taken. They directed their 
course towards Taboga, which they made their head- 
quarters, and depot for the valuables they had ob- 
tained in their cruise. For a while, they busied 
themselves in fortifying the island, after which they 
determined on making, says the Spanish historian, a 
" ferocious onslaught " on Panama. As a prelimi- 
nary measure to their attack, they sent a messenger 
to the Governor to deliver up forthwith the prisoners 
which the Spaniards had taken in the previous en- 
gagement on the seas, on board of one of the ships 
which they, the Spaniards, had carried by boarding. 
This polite request was granted. In a few days after 
they made a second demand or requisition on the 
Governor for provisions and liquors and wines of all 
sorts, to sustain them during their little pleasure trip 
on land. This, too, was immediately granted. 
Yet, another demand was made upon him for six 
thousand dollars, and this, also, was granted. At 



32 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

last, navely says our friend, the narrator, they be- 
came so emboldened by their success, that with an 
audaciousness only becoming freebooters, they again 
made a levy of ten thousand dollars upon him ; and 
again, for a still further sum of ten thousand dollars, 
and the chief magistrate (as he calls the Governor) 
submitted with shame and humiliation. Having 
extorted these sums, and being somewhat disgusted 
with the pusilanimity of these men, behind their 
trenches, the buccaneers retired, satisfied with their 
success, and proceeded up the Bay of Panama. 



CHAPTEE IV. 

History continued — Scottish Darien Expedition — Spanish Measures 
against it — Its Fate — Boundaries of the Isthmus of Panama — Pop- 
ulation — Physical Aspect — Geological Observations. 

Matters thus progressed, with varying fortune, ac- 
cording to the author we have been quoting, till 
the close of the seventeenth century, when the 
peace of Eyswick enabled the government of Spain 
to put forth all its strength in defense of their 
South American possessions, and a comparative 
calm ensued in those latitudes. It was about this 
time that the project and failure of the memorable 
Scottish Darien expedition occurred. Mr. Paterson, 
a Scotch gentleman of a remarkably speculative and 
enterprising turn of mind, conceived the idea of se- 
curing the " door of the seas" — his own expression — 
by establishing a powerful half-commercial, half- 
military colony to the eastward of Porto Bello, on a 
line of coast of which he averred the Spanish govern- 
ment were not the rulers, either de facto or de jure. 
Mr. Paterson first proposed his scheme to the Eng- 
lish government, by whom it was coldly rejected. 
He afterwards, by the zealous cooperation of Fletch- 
er of Saltoun, obtained the support of the Marquis 
of Tweeclale, then chief minister of Scotland, and 
3 



34 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

other influential persons, for his project ; and the ul- 
timate result was, that an act of parliament passed 
the Scottish legislature, and was duly consented to 
by King "William III., authorizing and incorporating 
the Scottish Darien Company. This was no sooner 
done than a sudden furor seized the usually cautious 
Scottish people. Mr. Paters on's estimate of the re- 
quired capital was £2,000,000 sterling; and £400,000, 
a full half of the entire specie of Scotland at that 
period, was at once subscribed by the projector's 
countrymen. English merchants also applied for 
shares to a large amount, and the Hamburg capital- 
ists entered eagerly into the speculation. This was 
scarcely to be wondered at, for, according to Mr. 
Paterson, the humblest shareholder was certain to 
acquire enormous riches. The. prize to be obtained, 
according to the projector's statement, as given in Sir 
John Dairy mple's " Memoirs of Great Britain and 
Ireland," was no less than the exclusive possession 
" of the door of the seas and the key of the universe, 
which, with anything of reasonable management, 
would enable the proprietors to give laws to both 
oceans, and to become arbitrators of the commercial 
world, without being liable to the fatigues, expenses, 
dangers, or incurring the blood and guilt of Alexan- 
der and of Csesar." This tissue of extravagance and 
folly will give the reader some idea of the glittering 
prestige attached to the Isthmus of Panama by a 
certain class of minds, from the day when JSTunez de 
Balbao descried from one of its hills the Pacific on 
the one hand and the Atlantic on the other. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 35 

In another document, quoted by the same au- 
thority, Mr. Paterson says, "Trade will increase 
trade, money will beget money, and the trading 
world shall need no more to want work for their 
hands, but will rather want hands for their work." 
Besides the gold which was to be had for the trouble 
of finding it, Mr. Paterson proposed that a duty of 
5 per cent, should be levied for the profit of the com- 
pany on all merchandise passing the Isthmus, and 
10 per cent, on specie, gems, &c. It is not sur- 
prising that the avidity with which shares in this, 
under the circumstances, preposterous scheme were 
taken up, should have suggested to Law, as he af- 
terwards declared, the notion of his far more auda- 
cious Mississippi project ; but it is astonishing to find 
that the East India Companies, both of England and 
Holland, exhibited a stupid and envious dislike of 
the scheme, and prevailed on "William III., notwith- 
standing his sanction of the Scottish act of parlia- 
ment creating the company, to discourage and thwart 
the proposed emigrants in the basest manner. The 
Hamburg merchants, although they talked rather 
largely, were induced to withdraw their subscrip- 
tions, and the English capitalists did the same, so that 
the entire pecuniary burthen of the project rest- 
ed upon the Scottish people. They, however, abated 
not one jot of heart or hope. A number of war ves- 
sels were purchased in Holland, and the first part of 
the expedition, consisting of about 1200 men, set 
sail from Leith amidst the prayers and blessings of 
many thousands of their assembled countrymen. 



36 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

They reached the Gulf of Darien in safety, and es. 
tablished themselves on the coast in localities to 
which they gave the names of ~N"ew Calidonia and 
New St. Andrews. The government of Spain had 
been perfectly quiet during the agitation of the 
project, and the arrangements for carrying it out ; 
but no sooner was the expedition arrived at the 
Isthmus, than — secretly instigated, it was believed, 
by the English King — it resolved to attack the 
embryo colony. The unfortunate Highlanders, de- 
cimated as they soon were by fever, hunger, and pri- 
vations of all kinds, could still at all events fight ; 
and Captain Campbell, of Finab, a relative of -the 
Athole and Breadalbane families, who had joined 
his countrymen with some followers, was chosen to 
command them. Captain Campbell had served in 
"William's continental wars, and his military mea- 
sures were prompt and decided. At the head of a 
few hundred picked men, he made a rapid night- 
march to Tuburactu, where a large body of Spanish 
troops were posted, and surprised and scattered them. 
His victory was a barren one. On returning with 
his triumphant soldiers, he found the Scottish settle- 
ments beleagued seaward by a Spanish squadron. 
There was no help, and, after a gallant but ineffect- 
ual resistance, the surviving colonists capitulated, 
with the exception of Captain Campbell, who, fearful 
of trusting to the tender mercies of the Spaniards, es- 
caped overland, and ultimately arrived safe in Scot- 
land. Paterson, who became temporarily deranged 
by the failure of his project, was amongst the sur- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 37 

vivors, and one of the few who regained their native 
shores. The second part of the expedition sailed be- 
fore the fate of the first had been ascertained, and 
the whole affair terminated most disastrously. 
However much incidental causes might have contri- 
buted to hasten the catastrophe — the jealousy of the 
English merchants, and the bad faith of William III. 
being amongst the chief of these — the shipwreck of 
a scheme so flimsily based and rashly undertaken, 
could by no skill or prudence have been long 
averted. 

Having already occupied more space than we had 
intended with the history of this country, we devote 
the remainder of this chapter to a few brief remarks 
on its topography. 

Panama embraces that portion of the great 
American Isthmus which lies between Darien on the 
east, and Costa Rica on the west, and contains about 
twenty-five thousand square miles. It is one of the 
Provinces of New Grenada, forming the extreme 
western portion of that state, and is the department 
known as Istmo, comprising Panama and Yeragua. 

This portion of the great Isthmus describes in the 
main a curve, the convex border or coast, looking 
North, being upon the Caribbean Sea, while its con- 
cave, or Southern boundary, is on the Bay of Pana- 
ma. 

The population of the Isthmus, embracing Pana- 
ma and Yeragua, is supposed to be about one 
hundred and fifty thousand ; but this conclusion is 



38 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

arrived at more from a general calculation, than by 
any attempts at an accurate census. 

The physical aspect of the Isthmus is for the 
most part mountainous and rugged. Along the val- 
ley of the Chagres river there are, however, some 
very excellent table lands, especially at Pefia Blanca 
and Barbacoa, which it must be almost painful for 
a farmer to see remaining uncultivated, but more 
particularly in the vicinity of Panama. Going back 
from the river, the hills often rise abruptly, but sel- 
dom to a greater height than 150 to 300 feet, and 
are skirted by fertile plains and green savannas, or 
narrowly divided by ravines, down which flow, du- 
ring the rainy season, in torrents, the rapidly accu- 
mulated volumes of water, to unite with the larger 
stream in the valley. The soil is mostly of red clay, 
and does not readily absorb the falling rain, which 
consequently is shed from the hill-sides as from the 
roof of a house, causing that rapid rise in the rivers 
which is so frequently noticed by travellers in this 
country. 

It was formerly supposed that the Cordilleras ex- 
tended uninterruptedly through the whole of JSTorth 
and South America, being simply greatly depressed 
on the Isthmus of Panama. But it has been shown 
by Berghaus, Hopkins, and others, that no such 
continuity exists. The Cordilleras of the Andes ter- 
minate at Darien ; and the great North American 
range probably commences near the Isthmus of Te- 
huantepec. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 39 

Col. Hughes, in his report, says that the two con- 
tinents, as they formerly existed, are now connected 
by a series of uplifted hills of variable height, form- 
ing a not well defined, but sinuous and contorted 
ridge, dividing the waters of the Pacific from those 
of the Atlantic, curving through the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama in the form of an arc. Upon the slopes of this 
ridge, and often towering above it, are seen isolated 
conical hills, sometimes connected with each other, 
or with the dividing range, by low ridges of land. 
Nearly the whole of this formation is obviously re- 
cent, and of igneous origin. It consists of porphyry, 
greenstone, columnar basalt, hornblende, and tra- 
pean rocks ; and altered limestone and granites, 
changed from other rocks by the action of fire, also 
occur. A considerable variety of minerals are found, 
such as copper and iron, agates, chalcedonies, and 
cornelians ; and gold has been discovered in almost 
every stream, especially on the Atlantic slope ; in- 
deed it is not improbable, from the many indications 
of its existence, that the mines of this metal may 
prove, on further examination of the country, to be 
of great value. Where sedimentary rocks are found, 
it is obvious that they are of still more recent origin 
than the igneous formations, and have been deposited 
since the upheaving of the latter, as they abut upon 
tli em, without disturbance of their strata, which are 
perfectly horizontal. Some exceptions to this rule 
are mentioned, but they escaped the observation of 
Colonel Hughes. It is almost impossible to resist the 



4:0 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

conclusion that at no remote period the two Ameri- 
cas were completely separate, the ocean flowing 
freely and uninterruptedly between them, and occu- 
pying nearly all the space from Tehuantepec to Da- 
rien, constituting, in fact, but one isthmus, although 
known by different names. On the highest peaks, 
which have been simply elevated by interior force, 
marine shells of recent origin are frequently found. 
The forces to which the formation is due, Colonel 
Hughes supposes to have acted principally in two 
different directions ; the one uplifting the main con- 
necting link of the two continents, and the other 
elevating the transverse ridges. From these axes 
other diverging or radiating ridges have been thrown 
out short distances in the direction of the lines of 
least resistance. The valley of the Chagres can 
scarcely be regarded strictly as one of denuda- 
tion. It is probable that when this country was up- 
heaved, there was no well defined outlet between 
the summit and the Atlantic, but that the secondary 
ranges were connected with low narrow ridges, in 
consequence of which a series of lakes were formed 
by the first rains, at different levels, falling succes- 
sively towards the ocean. The accumulation of the 
water at last broke through these slight barriers, and, 
in the natural course of things, reduced the outlet to 
a nearly uniform plane, the highest of these lakes, at 
a distance of forty-four miles from the ocean, having 
been but fifty feet above it. The valley of the Cha- 
gres has evidently been formed, not by the deposi- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 4:1 

tion of earthy substances from the river, but from 
the decomposition of the rocky hills, (subsequently 
mixed with vegetable matter,) and a long series of 
abrasion from the downfall water. 



CHAPTER V\ 

The Rivers of the Isthmus — The Rio Chagres and its Tributaries — The 
Rio Grande — The Caimito — The city of Panama — 'Its present and 
past State — Its Improvement — The Harbor — Porto Bello — Cha- 
gres — Gorgona — Cruces — Chorrera , etc. 

The Rio Chagres is about one hundred miles 
long, and, from Cruces down, varies from two hun- 
dred to three hundred feet in width. For the first 
half of its length it flows in a south-westerly direc- 
tion, nearly parallel to the dividing ridge, to the 
mouth oithe Obispo, and then suddenly changing its 
course to a few degrees west of north, follows it to the 
ocean. It abounds in sudden and abrupt turns, and 
winds around the terminations of the hills from side 
to side, presenting to the eye of the traveller an ever 
changing scene of the most gorgeous vegetation in 
the world. Its most important tributaries are the 
Obispo, Quebrada, Agua Salud, Trinidad, and Ga- 
tun. 

The Rio Grande is another large river of the Isth- 
mus, which rises on the dividing ridge, and flows the 
other way, emptying, near Panama, into the Pacific 
ocean. The Caimito is also a considerable stream, 
entering into a bay of the same name about twelve 
miles to the south-west of Panama. A great number 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 43 

of other rivers are found on the Isthmus, debauching 
at short intervals into the Atlantic or Pacific oceans ; 
but little, however, is known of them, unless we ac- 
cept the imperfect details of contraband traders, who 
have been upon the coast, or the statements of the 
natives. It is abundantly proven, however, that 
during the rainy season any amount of water-power 
may be obtained in almost every part of the country, 
for the purposes of manufactures. 

The principal towns on the Isthmus, of any 
interest, are Panama, Porto Bello, and Chagres, 
Gatun, Gorgona, Cruces on the Chagres river, 
and Chorrera in the valley of the Caimito. The 
present city of Panama contains about ten thou- 
sand inhabitants, and is by far the most impor- 
tant place in the province. It is an ancient walled 
town, and bears many prominent marks of its former 
elegance, and even grandeur, but is now in a great 
measure in a state ol dilapidation and decay. It is 
situated on an irregular point of land extending into 
the bay, the waters of which wash it on three sides. 
It was once a place of great importance and wealth, 
but had for many years been going to ruin, until 
within a short time a new spirit of enterprise has 
been imparted to its inhabitants, and it is now fast 
re-populating and re-building. Since the tide of 
emigration has set towards California, this has been 
made the most important place on the route, and 
now — its lines of steamships, and a large number of 
sailing craft, constantly arriving and departing from 
its harbor, and its streets swarming with busy travel- 



44 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

lers from every quarter of the globe — it is no longer 
the half-ruined and deserted city that it was a few 
years ago, but re-kindled life and enterprise are al- 
ready marking its onward progress to a better and 
more permanent state of prosperity in the future. 
The view seaward from the ramparts is most beauti- 
ful. The usually calm and placid surface of the bay, 
studded with islands clothed in the richest verdure of 
the tropics, and bearing upon its bosom every species 
of sailing craft, from a native bungo to the largest 
class of merchant ships, and majestic steamers, it pre- 
sents to the eye a scene unlike any other in the known 
world, and scarcely less enchanting. 

Unlike any other place on the Isthmus, Panama 
is considered healthy, as it may well be supposed, 
from the fact that its atmosphere is mostly from 
the sea, and consequently devoid of the noxious ex- 
halations of the back country, in a great measure. 
Overflowing as it is with travellers, and a transient 
population, and with imperfect municipal regula- 
tions, the first impressions of the place are often any- 
thing but agreeable, and particularly so from its ex- 
treme filth, the streets being made the common re- 
ceptacle of garbage and offal of every description, 
which is allowed to decay or to be removed by swine 
and buzzards, that are left, unmolested, with the duty 
of scavengers. One of the greatest detriments to the 
place is the deficiency of a supply of good water. 
The inhabitants are now supplied principally from a 
river three miles distant, the water being brought to 
the city on mules. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 45 

Porto Bello was the next place of importance, but 
it lias now sunk far beneath what Panama ever was, 
without any hope of being again resuscitated. Its 
population is about one thousand, and mostly ne- 
groes. It was contemplated at one time to make this 
place the northern terminus of the Panama Railroad, 
but the route from here was found not to be a fea- 
sible one, and consequently the idea was abandoned 
for the much better location at Navy Bay. 

The American town of Chagres, which lies on the 
west side of the river, may contain six or eight hun- 
dred inhabitants. The place was built up to meet 
the wants of the travelling public, and consequently 
it is as temporary in its appearance as could be 
imagined. With the opening of the port at Navy 
Bay, it must necessarily be abandoned for the want 
of support. Upon the opposite side, immediately 
under and behind the high rocky point upon which is 
built the fort of San Lorenzo, is situated the native 
town of Chagres, which is little else than a collection of 
miserable reed huts, thatched with palm-leaf. There 
are a few, more respectable in appearance and com- 
fortable, with earthen tiles, but all alike are without 
floors. The walls are sometimes plastered over in a* 
rude way, but usually left open, and they have only 
a mat suspended for a door. The houses are built 
quite compactly, and in rows, not more than from 
fifteen to twenty feet apart; and a walk through 
these narrow streets, with the views inside, will be 
likely to present some very novel spectacles to the 
stranger. The little natives, of both sexes, rurning 



46 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

about, with their protuberant bellies perfectly naked, 
certainly offers an odd sight for a Christian. This 
place is said to contain one thousand inhabitants, 
many of whom are Jamaica and Porto Bello negroes, 
who have gone there for employment as boatmen. 

Gatun, which lies upon the west bank of the 
Chagres river, ten miles above Chagres, is of much 
the same character. The population is variously esti- 
mated from one to two thousand. Upon the oppo- 
site shore, and a short distance below, is the railroad 
station, known by the same name. This is the first 
point at which the railroad touches the river, and is 
but seven and a half miles from Navy Bay. 

Gorgona is about forty miles from Chagres, in the 
course of the stream, but probably not more than 
half that distance in a straight line. This is made 
the entrepot for goods in transit across the Isthmus 
by the river. Between Gorgona and Panama, they 
are conveyed by mules. There are two or three re- 
spectable forwarding houses and hotels, owned by 
Americans, who are always found courteous and at- 
tentive to the wants of travellers. The population is 
said to be about two thousand. Cruces is six miles 
farther up, and was once a place of considerable im- 
portance, it being at the head of river navigation and 
on the paved road from Porto Bello to Panama. 
During the rainy season the road is much better from 
Panama to Cruces than to Gorgona, and consequent- 
ly business is in a measure transferred to this place 
while the rains continue, and boats go up without 
much difficulty. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 47 

Chorrera, lying in the valley of the Caimito, 
west of Panama, is supposed to contain four thou- 
sand inhabitants, and this part of the Isthmus is 
probably more thickly settled than any other of the 
same extent. Many other places are laid down on 
the maps, but they are of little importance. 



CHAPTER VI. 

The Forests of the Isthmus— Their primeval State — The Palms— - 
Different Varieties — Their Characteristics — The Blossoms and the 
Fruit — The various Products and their Uses — Indeapensable to the 
Natives. 

One of the first things that attracts the attention 
of travellers in this country, and perhaps impresses 
them more vividly than any other, is the deep, solemn 
beauty of the forests. Until recently, the whole 
length and breadth of the Isthmus, with but few and 
slight exceptions, has remained the same gorgeous 
" wild-wood" of huge trees and thickly interwoven 
jungles that characterized it when first discovered 
by the Spaniards ; and Nature, in all her gran- 
deur, unbroken and undisturbed by the hand ofman ? 
has reigned supreme throughout its whole extent. 
But thanks to American progress, which seems 
destined to leave no part of this continent without its 
iron track, the woodman's ax has resounded already 
through its wild savannas and deep vallies, borne 
on by the strong arm of enduring enterprise ; and 
it is to be hoped that its sound will never cease, until 
the sun's light shall fall upon the soil that has so 
long been shadowed over by these dense woods, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 49 

and the light of civilization and intelligence shall 
break in upon the moral darkness that has hitherto 
hnng over their people, and kept them in the pro- 
foundest ignorance and superstition. 

That most beautiful of all trees, which is peculiar 
to the inter-tropical landscape, the Palm, is found 
here in a great number of its varieties, from the 
humble plant, so much used in the manufacture of 
hats, to the Palma Eeal, which grows to the height 
of one hundred and twenty feet, and is one of the 
most majestic and beautiful of the natural produc- 
tions of the earth. The Cocoanut Palm is far infe- 
rior in appearance. It is not so large, and its trunk 
is more or less curved, especially near the ground ; 
but with its clusters of fruit, in every stage of matu- 
rity, it is a marked example in nature of unpretend- 
ing utility, contrasting widely with its fellow, the 
Palma Real, of towering beauty, but comparative 
unproductiveness. 

There are a great many varieties of this most inter- 
esting class, variously estimated from one hundred 
and ninety to near a thousand, and it is supposed that 
there are some not yet described. Several varieties 
are common upon the Isthmus, but they vary much 
in different districts. The Palma Real is not seen 
in crossing the country, until arriving at Barbacoa ; 
while the Cocoanut is found upon the coast, and 
again at Gorgona, but most frequently near the sea 
shore, where it grows in great abundance. 

The great characteristic of the Palm is its man- 
ner of growth, or, technically, it is endogenous. The 



50 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

circulation is carried on in the centre of the stem, 
instead of near the surface, as sap, as in our northern 
trees. The largest palms have no distinct bark that 
can be separated, nor have they branches, but com- 
mence their growth like a common plant. The root 
of the leaf first encircles the stalk near the ground ; 
within this shoots out another above the first, which 
it crowds out, and dying, it drops off, and thus every 
new leaf adds to the length of the trunk. Only a 
few leaves remain, which are always at the top of the 
tree; and on some of the palms, these facets, or 
scars, where the leaves separated, may be distinctly 
seen after it has attained a great size. The Palma 
Real is marked by rings, the root of the leaf encir- 
cling the trunk for some feet up before it becomes 
pinnated, and extends off; this part being of a bright 
green, is one of the great beauties of the tree. The 
leaves of the larger Palms are all pinnated, or fea- 
ther-like — a central stem with two rows of narrow 
leaves on each side. These leaves are often twenty 
feet long, and the natives split them, leaving a row 
of the leaflets on each half ; and these they bind on 
the roofs of their houses, commencing at the lower 
part, letting the leaflets overlap each other, and they 
form a very perfect and durable covering. The 
palm from which these thatches are obtained, never 
grows to a great height, and the dead leaves adhere 
to the trunk nearly to the ground, giving it a scrubby 
appearance ; while the long leaves at the top shoot 
out and curve over in a very graceful manner, like 
the Palma Real and other varieties. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 51 

All, or nearly all, of the large Palms bear fruit, 
which varies more in its character than does the tree 
in appearance. It is usually clustered, and hangs 
around the body of the tree beneath the roots of the 
leaves. The Palma Keal, Date Palm, and many 
others, are very beautiful in this respect, the fruit 
varying from the size of a blackberry to a lime, 
usually — the Cocoanut being an exception. I ob- 
served some through all their stages of growth, 
from the blossom to the ripe fruit. An enormous 
spatha shoots out, and opening, develops an im- 
mense number of little white blossoms ; these soon 
fall to the ground, covering it for some yards per- 
fectly white. The fruit of some would be first green, 
and then yellow ; afterwards, when ripe, it would be 
red, and hang in clusters of several hundred, in the 
form of an inverted cone, suspended by a single 
stem. This fruit is a miniature cocoanut, about the 
size of a medium lime, with its outside shuck, hard 
shell, and meat. It is eaten eagerly by wild and 
domestic hogs. 

The Date Palm and some others are supposed to 
contain in one cluster from 12,000 to 600,000 flowers. 
The trunk of the variety above described is not usu- 
ally over eight or ten inches thick, but often fifty or 
sixty feet high, and covered with sharp prickles. 

A variety presenting a very peculiar appearance, 
supported upon aerial roots, is common upon the 
Isthmus. The trunk is straight and slim, and sup- 
ported six or eight feet from the ground, by roots 
that stand out in every direction, and from two to 



52 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA, 

three inches thick, and covered with sharp thorns. 
These roots shoot out in a direct course towards the 
ground, and increase in number according to the 
growth of the tree, and the consequent necessity of 
additional strength. I discovered one of these roots 
when its point had but just entered the ground. It 
was lighter colored than the older ones, although 
equal in bulk, but pithy and full of sap. With little 
effort I broke it from the parent trunk, to which it 
soon would have contributed its support. So sharp 
and strong are the thorns on these roots, that the na- 
tives use them for graters. 

Dr. Rawley, who spent some time in New Grena- 
da, says, that on the Magdalena, a palm plant is very 
common, which produces an immense fruit, or cluster 
of seeds, from which the natives extract, by compres- 
sion, three different kinds of oil. The plant has 
a long lanceolate leaf, and grows sometimes in the 
crotches of trees where moss and dirt has accumula- 
ted, but usually in the ground. The fruit, when ripe, 
is red, and appears an aggregation of distinct seed 
or nuts. These are broken and then pressed. One 
oil is red, containing the coloring matter of the fruit, 
and is used in cooking, dressing meats, and to burn ; 
another from the same plant is used for the hair, 
while the third quality is employed medicinally. 

It is said that the natives can subsist alone upon 
the various products of the family of palms, which 
also supply them with a variety of luxuries. " Wine, 
oil, wax, flour, sugar, and salt," says Humboldt, 
" are the produce of this tribe ;" to which Yon Mar- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 53 

tins adds, " thread, weapons, utensils, food and habi- 
tations." The most remarkable is the Cocoannt. 
The root is sometimes masticated, and of the small 
fibres baskets are made. The hard case of the stem 
is made into drnms, and used in the constrnction of 
hnts. The base of the leaf of the Palma Real is made 
into cradles, and from the fibres they make cloth. 
The nnexpanded terminal bnd is a delicate article of 
food ; the leaves furnish thatches for habitations and 
materials for fences, buckets and baskets. The mid- 
rib of the leaf serves for oars, the juice of the stem 
and fiower " is replete with sugar ; and is fermented 
into an excellent wine, or distilled into a sort of 
spirit called arrack." The Cocoannt alone furnishes 
food, a nourishing drink, and the shell makes a dur- 
able cup. " The juice which flows from the wound- 
ed spathas of several varieties, is not only grateful as 
a beverage, but it is found the surest and safest re- 
medy for constipation of the bowels, especially in 
delicate females." The finest Sago is prepared from 
the pith of some varieties of the palm, which yield 
from six to eight hundred pounds the single tree. 
The tough, hard fibres are also used to a considerable 
extent for making brooms, under the name of vegeta- 
ble bristles. A beautiful material, called vegetable 
ivory, is obtained from a palm that grows upon the 
Magdalena. The tree which produces it is near 
the size of the Cocoanut, and resembles it. The 
fruit is about as large as an orange, and covered with 
a thick rough shuck ; it is at first a clear fluid, and 
sometimes drank, but afterwards becomes white and 



54 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

more consistent, with a sweet taste, and ultimately 
perfectly solid, heavy and white as ivory. It softens 
nnder water, bnt becomes hard on being removed ; 
it is used for various ornaments, toys, cane-heads, 
&c. The wood of the different palms is useful for 
many purposes, and is extensively used for walking- 
sticks, umbrella-staffs, and various other articles. 
The palm oil may be extensively obtained, and it 
not only burns well, but the odor of it is more 
agreeable than otherwise ; in fact, the various uses 
to which the products of the palm have been appro- 
priated are almost innumerable. Yet it is not to be 
supposed that any very great variety of them will 
be observed at any one place, and especially not on 
the Isthmus of Panama, although it is there almost 
indispensable to the natives' subsistence and comfort. 



CHAPTER VII. 

The Forests — Gorgeous Vegetation — A peculiar Tree — The Cedro— 
Native Bungoes — Different Timbers of the Isthmus — TheludiaRub- 
ber Tree — Method of collecting and preparing the Gum — The Milk 
Tree — The Calabash Tree — Objeetional Feature of the Isthmus 
Forests. 

Although the palms may be considered one of the 
most distinguished features of the Isthmus forests, yet 
they are but one of the many trees which consti- 
tute the wood growth of this country. The different 
kinds or species are seemingly innumerable ; so 
much so, that one would readily immagine himself 
placed in the midst of a vast collection of the vege- 
table kingdom from all nations, so thickly are they 
congregated, and so widely differing in appearance. 
Beside the giant of the forest, two or three centu- 
ries old, . and measuring in circumference thirty- 
five and sometimes sixty feet, will be found the 
spindling trunk, not more than two or three inches 
thick, yet stretching away to a height altogether out 
of proportion to its size, to reach the sunlight which 
occasionally comes shimmering down through the 
green canopy above, in bright streams to entice it on 
its way. [Nor is this all; each sturdy trunk will 



56 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

be made to bear some parasite or creeping vine, 
that, having climbed to its topmost height, will shoot 
off branches earthward, that will hang like cords, 
suspended in mid air, until reaching the ground, to 
take root. These vines sometimes so encircle a trunk, 
that it dies, strangled apparently by that which it 
had supported, and finally, rotting away, it will fall 
with its burthen, and crumbling to dust, leave a hol- 
low cylinder of interlacing strans. 

Countless numbers of parasite plants will be seen 
clinging to the barks, or around the branches and in 
their angles, bearing most beautiful blossoms ; and 
thus each tree not only appears in its richest verdure, 
and perhaps in gorgeous bloom, but decorated with 
innumerable other specimens of the Great Artist's 
handiwork, in this grandest of all his exhibitions 
in the world. 

One of the most peculiar trees of the Isthmus, 
and one that is often found growing to a great size, 
is that so strongly sustained in its position by planes, 
thrown out from twenty feet or more up the trunk, 
which become rooted in the ground at perhaps an 
equal distance, thus bracing it on every side against 
the violence of winds or the gravity of its own great 
bulk. Two or three varieties of the mahogany tree, 
and a cedro or cedar, from which the natives 
usually make their~canoes, are among those most 
commonly seen ; they both grow to a great size, es- 
pecially the cedro. Large boats, called bungoes, 
from forty to fifty feet long and of several tuns bur- 
then, are made from a single tree. They are very 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 57 

good sea "boats, and rigged with sails ; the natives 
often go between Porto Bello, JSTavj Bay, and 
Chagres, with them. Mr. Stephens has given an in- 
teresting account of a trip he made, of several days' 
duration, along the coast of Yucatan, in one of these 
vessels, and I have been creditably informed that a 
steam engine was jDut in one at Panama, and it oper- 
ated well. 

The most reliable account of the timbers of the 
Isthmus and their practical utility, is from the pen 
of ¥m. H. Sicleil, Esq., who was at one time an 
engineer on the Panama Railroad. He took great 
pains to inform himself from persons of experience, 
who had been several years in the country. Of the 
timbers of the Isthmus, Mr. Sidell says : 

" It will be seen that the names are nearly all lo- 
cal, and there is so little similarity to the woods with 
which we are accustomed, that I cannot attempt to 
classify them with our timbers. 

" GnachapaU. — Is a large tree found in abund- 
ance ; the timber has something the appearance of 
oak, and is durable under ground. 

" JLfacano or Cacique. — Is a crooked tree, and 
generally of middle size, though sometimes large. 
It does not readily decay under ground or in the 
water. Stakes driven fifteen years since, and washed 
alternately by salt and fresh water, show no signs 
of change. jEspino Amarillo. — Is not very abund- 
ant. Is good for constructions in water. The wood 
is of yellowish color, straight grained and easy to 
work ; it is of light weight and not liable to decay, 



58 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

or to the attacks of insects. There are seven kinds oi 
amarillo, all of which are considered good timber. 

" Cedro Espino. — This is a large tree, the trunk 
straight and the timber not heavy. The heart-wood 
alone is good, and this stands well in the open air, 
or under ground, as well as in interiors. It is the 
kind commonly used on the Isthmus in making 
boards. Cedro Cebolla. — Large tree, rather crooked ; 
in other respects similar to the espino. The curate 
of a village on the Isthmus assured Mr. Hutardo, 
that the trunk of a fallen tree, lying partly in the 
water, had been used by his people as a bridge from 
time immemorial. 

" Cedro Amargo. — Is a large tree, easy to work, 
and stands well in the open air. Nispero. — Is a 
large tree and not easy to work ; stands well when 
not exposed to sun and rain. Insects do not touch 
it, but it is liable to rot if exposed to the inclemency 
of the weather. It is esteemed for its resistance to 
transverse action. There are several varieties, 
amongst which the Nispero real and Nispero de 
Montana are most esteemed. The sapadillo is said 
to be identical with the nispero, and there are fre- 
quent instances of the great durability of this wood. 
At the castle of San Lorenzo, near Chagres, and 
amongst the old works at Porto Bello, are great quan- 
tities, which have endured, under various circum- 
stances of exposure, for half a century and over. 
The timber resembles the cherry of the j^orth — - 
about the same color, hardness, and weight. It is 
quite straight grained and a very fine timber. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 59 

M Quira. — Very fine wood, tree large, timber 
Lard, heavy, and difficult to work ; resists friction. 
It is mncb used. Guayacan. — Large tree, Lard, 
heavy and difficult to work, but very strong ; is much, 
employed in building. If left on the ground and ex- 
posed to the open air, it petrifies, becoming a silici- 
ous stone, retaining the appearance of wood. The 
conditions on which this petrifaction depends are 
unknown. The figures of the apostles, which are in 
front of the cathedral at Panama, are of this wood. 
They are not less than from 35 to 40 years old. It 
is the same wood known to us by the name of lignum 
vitse. 

" Algarobo. — Is a large tree, hard and heavy 
wood, of red color. If properly seasoned, it lasts 
many years, exposed to the inclemency of the 
weather ; it is very abundant. Mangle Caballero. — 
This wood is considered as good as nispero ; it grows 
generally near the water's edge, is found in great 
abundance, and will give pieces from 35 to 40 feet 
long, and a foot square. Alcomoque. — (Cork-tree.) 
A very large tree ; will give large beams, and wears 
well. Mal-vicino. — Is so named by the natives, 
from its extreme hardness and great size. The color 
of the wood is yellow. It is found in abundance, 
and, as it wears well, it is much employed in build- 
ing, notwithstanding the great expense of cutting. 

" Caoba. — Trees very large, wood not heavy, and 
easy to work ; stands well under a roof. If not pro- 
perly seasoned it becomes brittle ; for this reason 
carpenters object to its use ; it is mahosranv. 



GO THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

u Boole. — Trees large, wood light, and easy to work ; 
stands well in the open air. On the whole, it may 
he considered a good wood. There are two varie- 
ties, one of which is not much esteemed. Corotu. — 
Yery large tree, light wood ; used for making canoes ; 
not good for general purposes. Cedro Bueno and 
Cedro Passaya.-—Ara cedars, but the least esteemed 
of the species. They are, however, sometimes used. 
Ciibo — If or a — Cope. — These trees are abundant, but 
useless for the purposes of construction. Quipo. — 
The laurel, however, is tough and elastic, and, when 
dry, is used for masts. 

c i Torro — Cocobollo — Nazareno — Narangito— To- 
tuna. — The first three woods named are very beauti- 
ful, and are used in cabinet-making. The narangito 
and totuna are fine, strong woods, fit for the purposes 
of the wheelwright. Totuna is white, and resembles 
hickory ; mortices made in it never split. The tree, 
however, is small and of irregular growth. Cano 
Blanco. — This cane, cut open and cleared of the 
loose fibres, furnishes the cheapest and the best 
known lathing in the country. Under a roof, if pro- 
perly seasoned, it will stand 30 or 40 years without 
injury. Espabe. — Is never used, although it is very 
abundant and the trees grow to a great size. A Mr. 
McGregor once erected a saw-mill, and cut great 
quantities of plank from espabe, but it was a failure, 
as no one would use them. 

"Algagia — Nispero — Nazareno — Madrono, de 
Montano — Amarillo de Guayquil. — All these woods 
are much esteemed, because they can be safely made 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 61 

use of while the tree is still young, and measuring 
but five inches square. 

" It is the universal opinion of the country, that 
the quality of the timber is influenced by the time 
of cutting, in regard to the age of the moon ; and as 
the same opinion is prevalent in our own country, and 
in' Europe, although regarded by engineers as falla- 
cious, I will give the strongly expressed ideas of 
Senor H on the subject : 

" ' It is a fact, within my own observation, that no 
wood should be cut before the moon is full. I paid 
little attention to this popular belief until I found, by 
experience, that such was really the case. Insects 
will attack wood that w T ill not be touched by them if 
cut after the full moon. This is very evident, if the 
wood is of a light and spongy nature. Some vege- 
table productions will prove this in a most striking 
manner, thus. If our common thatch be gathered 
under a new moon, it will rot in a few months, and 
be attacked by worms ; while it will last from fifteen 
to twenty years, if gathered at the full moon. Those 
who many years ago built houses in this country, are 
now most particular in selecting their woods after 
this manner.' " 

Two varieties of the manzanilla, or manchineel of 
Lindley, the india rubber and the palo de vaca, or 
cow tree, so particularly described by Humboldt, 
are to be found here, but to no very great extent. 
They all belong to the same order, and include the 
bread fruit and famous upas. Each discharges, 
when cut into, a white fluid ; the india rubber, or 



62 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

caoutchouc and palo de vaca being the most re- 
markable. 

The india rubber, which has become so impor- 
tant an article in the Arts, and of domestic use, is 
obtained by tapping the tree, much as the maple is 
in New England. The juice issues, of a white, creamy 
consistence, and, when designed for exportation 
in the crude state, it is poured into long troughs, 
where the elastic particles arise to the surface, leav- 
ing a dark aqueous fluid beneath. In this way the 
india rubber becomes sufficiently hard to be taken 
off in thick sheets. "When converted into any parti- 
cular shape, as shoes, bottles, etc., as it usually is by 
the natives, they prepare the moulds by smearing 
them with clay, and being furnished with handles, 
they are dipped into the liquid india rubber, and 
then held in the smoke over a fire of oily palm nuts, 
to dry, and become black. This process is repeated 
until the desired thickness is acquired, and then they 
are exposed in the sun to harden. 

The milk tree, I am disposed to think, is not 
very common, yet there can be no reasonable doubt 
of its existence. Humboldt describes it as yielding 
a large quantity of delicious milk, equal in quality, 
and possessing many of the characteristics of cows' 
milk, and says," It is at the rising of the sun, this 
vegetable fountain is most abundant ; the blacks and 
natives are then seen hastening from all quarters, 
with large bowls to receive the milk, which grows 
yellow and thickens at the surface." 

Lindley confirms this marvellous account, and 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 63 

says that it lias been analyzed by a number of Che- 
mists and found to contain 30.57 per cent, of galactin. 
Capt. Charles Cochrane, of the Royal Navy, and Dr. 
Webster, surgeon of an English sloop, have both 
described this tree, and speak of it in nearly the same 
terms. 

The manchineel is of two varieties, one of which 
is poison . It is common on the island of Manzanilla. 

The calabash tree is quite common. It is about 
the size of a peach tree, and presents a peculiar ap- 
pearance, with its enormous green, shining fruit, 
which often hangs from the extreme end of a limb, 
bending it towards the ground. Mangroves usually 
grow along the coast, forming an almost impassible 
barrier. The principal trunk often lies horizontal, 
giving off aerial branches with bulbous extremities, 
which take root in the muddy soil beneath, and thus 
extend along to a great extent, like the banyan tree. 
From the number of valuable timbers above des- 
cribed, it would seem that there could have been no 
necessity for exporting piles and crossties for the 
Panama Railroad, yet it has been done. Whatever 
may be said of the forests of the Isthmus, there is no 
timber which can ever supply the place of the 
northern pine and cedar ; which are accessible in 
great numbers, from a small surface ; while on the 
Isthmus it would seem that the greatest possible va- 
riety were crowded into a given space, and, conse- 
quently, such timbers as are valuable are more or 
less scattered. 



CHAPTEK YIIL 

Agricultural prospects of the Isthmus— Its Natural Productions — Cot- 
ton—Sugar-Cane — Tobacco — Plantains, Bananas- and their Culti- 
vation — Fruits— Chirimoyers — Pine Apples — Alligator Pears and 
others — Medicinal Products— The Natives' Antidote for Snake 
Poison — Castor Oil Plant — Ipecacuanha, Sarsaparilla, &c. 

It is not much likely that the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama will immediately become, to any yery great ex- 
tent, an agricultural district ; yet, probably, nowhere 
would the earth yield a greater variety of her useful 
products than here. Nor is it hardly possible that 
greater inducements could be presented to the culti- 
vators of the soil than are now offered on this Isth- 
mus, not only from the present and increasing 
demand for such products, but from the bountiful 
harvest that could be obtained from the richly pro- 
ductive soil. It will take a long time before the 
public will view this little neck of land in any other 
light than a very objectionable portion of the earth, 
to " get over" on the way to California ; yet it is 
worthy of a much more general consideration. 

Of the agricultural productions of this country 
but little can be said, for but little is known about 
them, and that little, many times, is vague and un- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 65 

certain. It is said that wheat will grow well in the 
high lands, yet few experiments have ever been tried 
with it ; bnt corn is well known to produce abund- 
antly, and with so little labor that the natives make 
it one of their chief crops, and its easy growth re- 
quires no better evidence of the fact. Eice grows 
well in the low lands, bnt is not mnch cultivated. 
Cotton and sugar-cane are sometimes to be seen in 
the native rosas, bnt not often. Up the Magdalena 
river, tobacco is produced quite extensively, and it 
grows thrifty on the Isthmus, but it can never be of 
good quality without a better system of cultivation 
than it has ever had here. Coffee and cocoa are 
both grown to some extent, and so are yams and 
sweet potatoes ; but the natives are so indolent that 
they seldom take the trouble to plant them. Yams 
are brought to the Chagres market from Carthagena, 
in considerable quantities. Plantains and bananas 
are not only the easiest grown, but they yield the 
greatest amount of valuable fruit of any known vege- 
table production. The plant is very beautiful, with its 
broad, green leaves, the roots of which clasp the stalk, 
reaching to the ground. Each leaf, as it shoots out' 
is a closely rolled cylinder, pointing directly up- 
wards until it unrolls, when it gracefully bends to 
one side. The stem of the fruit is the termination 
of the stalk, which expands and finally bending over, 
the flowers are developed in rows around it, suc- 
ceeding each other gradually, from the base to the 
apex, which by this time usually hangs directly 
down ; and as the fruit is developed, it turns up and 

A* 



6b THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

back towards the stem. Maintain the stem in its 
natural position, and the fruit would point up to- 
wards the apex of the cluster, instead of turning 
back as we always see them. A bunch of bananas 
will weigh from twenty-five to fifty pounds, and four 
crops may be grown in a year ; so that at least a hun- 
dred pounds of fruit is yielded by a single plant, an- 
nually. When the head of the banana is fully grown, 
it should be cut off and hung away to ripen ; while 
the stalk must be cut of! close to the ground, that it 
may sprout out anew, or else the root will die. 
Plantains resemble bananas so faithfully that they 
are not always readily distinguished, yet they are 
not either as palatable or wholesome, unless boiled, 
baked or fried, which are the usual methods of cook- 
ing them. 

Several varieties of beans, are grown to some 
extent, as well as peas, squashes, and other vegetables 
of the same character. A species of agave, called 
peta, furnishes a very strong fibre for cordage. It is 
of this that the net hammocks are usually made, 
and I am tolcl that it is very abundant in some parts 
of the country. 

In no place can the delicate fruits be more easily 
produced, nor in greater variety. Besides such as 
we have already described, the orange, lemon, lime, 
pine-apple and mango are found growing wild, in 
small quantities, or more abundant even under the 
indifferent cultivation of the natives. Sapotes, gua- 
vas, and the delicious chirimoyer also grow wild 
throughout the forests. The chirimoyers are of two 



TBE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 67 

kinds ; the one is sweet, while the other, and much the 
larger, is pleasantly sour. The sweet variety is 
about the size of a large orange, and so like a cus- 
tard that it is called the custard apple; the other, or 
sour fruit, is as large as a quart cup, elongated, 
green, and quite rough on the surface. Their sub- 
stance is so delicate that it is most conveniently 
eaten with a spoon. 

The alligator. pear is another very delicious fruit, 
very common in the market of Panama ; indeed, 
there is seemingly no end to the various different 
productions of this class, which grow spontaneously, 
or may be produced with little labor ; yet they are 
now found but in limited quantities, so much so 
that it has been doubted by some who have been 
upon the Isthmus that they existed there. Nearly 
all I have so far mentioned have come under my 
observation, and many not here mentioned have 
still been spoken of by others. All the soil of this 
country wants, is cultivation, to make it the garden 
of the world ; this is evident from the great variety 
and gorgeous character of vegetable life every 
where to be seen. 

The medicinal products alone are a numerous 
and valuable class ; yet they cannot be considered 
but in a limited extent, known. 

The great remedy, or antidote, for the bite of 
venomous reptiles, {simaruba cedronj) which has re- 
cently attracted so much attention in Europe, was 
first discovered on this Isthmus, and has been for a 
long time in use among the natives. The seeds are 



68 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

first scraped and then macerated in spirit, with 
which the wound is to be washed, and the scrapings 
bound on to it. The dry powder sprinkled into the 
wound would probably be quite as effectual. The 
natives hold this article in high estimation, and are 
seldom without it. The castor oil plant {oleum rici- 
nus,) grows along the banks of the Chagres river, 
and probably throughout the country. The natives 
extract the oil for domestic use. Ipecacuanha is 
found abundant on the Magdalena, and probably it 
is indigenous on the Isthmus ; also, several varieties 
of the cinchona, but they are said to yield but a very 
small per cent, of quinine, on which its virtues de- 
pend. The Mendirigo Indians gather large quanti- 
ties of fustic and other dye woods, which they dis- 
pose of to contraband vessels, and therefore no 
account is rendered of their exportation. The va- 
nilla bean grows here, but it is said not to be of the 
best quality ; probably it has never yet been pro- 
perly cured. 

The Yaliente Indians gather large quantities of 
sarsaparilla from the savannas of Costa Eiea 7 and 
of excellent quality. 



CHAPTER IX. 

The Inhabitants of the Isthmus — What Nature has done for them-— 
Their Food — Clothing — Means for travelling— Mestizoes — Their 
Character — Distinction from the Boatmen — Sas Bias Indians — Men- 
dingoes— Their jealousy of Foreigners-»-Their Productions and Trade 
— Their method of catching Fish and removing the shells from Tur- 
tles — The Landholders and their Landmarks — Rosas — Native Ho- 
tels— Dress of the Women— -Smoking— Their Children — Their Ideas 
of the Future. 

Probably no class of mankind are more perfectly 
satisfied with themselves, and contented in their situa- 
tion, than the native inhabitants of this country. 
Nature has lavished upon them some of her richest 
gifts ; has given them a climate of constant summer, 
thus enabling them to adopt the simplest habits of 
life ; and not only planted, but rears and ripens, un- 
aided, some of her choicest productions for their use. 
So bountifully are these people provided for, in this 
way, that they seem to be altogether free from any 
care for the future ; and thus relieved so entirely from 
that powerful and necessary incentive to action — 
self-preservation, they lead a life of listless indiffe- 
rence, emphatically the spoiled children of a too in- 
dulgent parent, 



TO THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

A few days' work will enable them to erect a 
house that will last many years, and one that they 
prefer to any other. A few dollars will supply wear- 
ing apparel for each person a year ; as it consists, at 
the best, of little more than a pair of light trowsers, 
a calico or flannel shirt, and a palm-leaf hat. To 
obtain food, they have but to set their nets in the 
rivers to catch excellent fish, or kill an ox and im- 
mediately cut it into strings that it may dry and be- 
come "jerked beef," which will last months ; or pick 
bananas and plantains, which are usually found grow- 
ing about their habitations, and these, with a few 
others, will suffice for all their wants in this respect. 
If they wish to travel, they have but to fall a tree 
upon the bank of a stream, and hew it out, and they 
have a vessel with which they can not only traverse 
numerous rivers, but may go from port to port upon 
the coast. "With a grass mat for a bed, an extra 
shirt, a net satchel for their pipe, tobacco, tinder box, 
and a few other articles, but more than all else a 
machete, and they -are prepared to journey for any 
time. Such is then, briefly, the present condition and 
habits of the provincial population of the Isthmus 
of Panama. 

The aboriginal inhabitants were Indians, and 
there are distinct tribes of them who maintain their 
independence to this day ; but in all those places 
where the Spanish made settlements, they were sub- 
dued, and finally, with the remnant of their con- 
querors, they have become so intermingled, that they 
now constitute a distinct class, called Mestizoes. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 71 

They retain the Spanish dialect, but speak it, how- 
ever, imperfectly, it being more or less confounded 
with provincialisms. In their habits they are peace- 
able, inoffensive and hospitable, although on all tho- 
roughfares they soon become distrustful of Ameri- 
cans, from the manner in which they are often treated ; 
no distinction being made between them and the 
class of boatmen and porters one is usually obliged 
to contend with, who travels between Chagres and 
Panama ; the last being principally from Jamaica 
and other places, either negroes or a mixture of ne- 
gro and Indian blood. These are mostly a set of 
despicable vagabonds, and deserve neither kindness 
nor forbearance. The qualification they most esteem 
is an ability to cheat ; in a contract, they are obedient 
in promises, but when once they have shoved their 
boat from shore, they claim the right of exemption 
from engagements made on land, and treat with 
dogged insolence any attempt to urge them from 
their purposes. 

The San Bias Indians, who occupy the country 
bordering on the bay of that name, were never subject 
to the Spaniards, and entertain towards them a most 
inveterate hatred to this day. As might be expected, 
they are exceedingly jealous of their independence, 
and will allow no European to cross their country, 
or settle upon it. This arises from the tradition of 
former Spanish aggressions ; and, esteeming their 
country as an especially favored part of the world, 
they are ready to suspect from any who visit their 
coast, a design for their extermination. The Men- 



72 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

dingo river enters this bay, at the mouth of which 
there is an Indian settlement, and the inhabitants 
are consequently known by that name also. They 
are a hardy and somewhat active race of people, with 
rather broad chests and low foreheads, giving them 
an ugly expression. They are very careful of 
their women, for whom they provide liberally, giv- 
ing each wife a separate house to live in, when they 
have more than one, which is frequently the case. 
This has been considered the ground of their objec- 
tion to Europeans, as they are known to be opposed 
to the improvement of the species by mixed blood. 
The women are said to be modest and amiable, but 
as they are never without a watchful eye over them, 
it is difficult to judge of their virtues. Their com- 
plexions are usually clearer, and they are otherwise 
better looking than the males, especially when 
young. The native costume consists of a cotton 
skirt or wrapper, of their own manufacture, and usu- 
ally colored with blue, reaching from their shoulders 
to a little below the calf of the leg, and a piece o± 
the same thrown over their heads, reaching below the 
breasts. They are very fond of ornaments, such as 
ear-rings, necklaces ancTwristlets of coral or beads, 
and sometimes they wear rings in their noses. The 
hair is long and black, and usually fastened upon 
the tops of their heads, or braided and left to hang 
clown their backs. 

Ornaments and various articles of dress are now 
obtained to a considerable extent from coasting ves- 
sels that visit them to exchange such goods for fustic, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 73 

sarsaparilla root, turtle shells, and some of the more 
expensive woods. Their trade is usually carried on 
at one of the islands or keys in the bay, to which 
they convey their articles of exchange. Hogs, fowls, 
turtles, and the usual variety of tropical fruits are 
to be obtained here in considerable quantities. These 
people often visit E"avy Bay and Chagres with these 
articles to sell. 

Spanish vessels usually keep clear from this coast, 
for it is well known that no quarter would be given 
them if they should fall into the hands of the Men- 
dingoes. Indian corn, plantains, bananas, cassava, 
and other articles for domestic use, are grown by 
them. The men cut the trees, excepting always 
the cocoanut, and partially clear the ground, while 
the women and children plant or sow, and cultivate 
the crop. After the first harvest they set fire to the 
dry stocks, which burn with the fallen trees, leaving 
the ground without obstruction for a future use. 
Fishing is followed as an occupation, to some extent ; 
large fish are often shot in shallow water, with ar- 
rows. The turtles are of excellent quality, and in 
great quantities. The hawk's-bill. turtle is taken 
alive, and a fire kindled upon its back, which is al- 
lowed to burn until the pieces may be easily removed, 
care being taken not to allow too much heat, lest it 
spoil the shell. It is said that this treatment is some- 
times survived, and that the shell is reproduced in 
one continuous piece over the whole back. 

In the vicinity of the Chagres river, many of 
the natives own large tracts of land, but with very 



T4 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

indefinite boundaries. A native named Sipreon, 
at Bujio Soldado, claims all that can be seen from 
the top of a large tree near his premises, although it 
would be utterly impossible for any one to attain 
that position in order to ascertain the extent of his 
possessions. These landholders usually have a rosa, 
or plantation back from the river, where they grow 
sugar-cane, Indian corn or maize, plantains, bananas 
and the other fruits and vegetables for their own 
consumption, and to sell on the river ; many of them 
entertain boatmen, or whoever else may find it ne- 
cessary to obtain such food or shelter as they pro- 
vide. 

From what has already been said, it will be 
evident that the habits of these people are irregular 
and indolent. Of their sports, the fandango is by 
far the most common; and they sometimes go a 
great distance to attend this nightly revel. Hunting 
and fishing are occasionally resorted to for pastime 
or profit; but the last is practiced but little in the 
interior, although the rivers abound in excellent 
fish. 

The women wear a dress usually made from 
calico, gathered about the neck, and with flounces 
near the bottom ; the neck of it, however, is often 
unloosed and turned down to the waist, leaving the 
shoulders covered only by the chemise. The palm- 
leaf hat is also worn by them, while their feet are 
generally naked, although sometimes they wear 
shoes, but no stockings. Smoking is an almost con- 
stant habit with them, as well as with the men, be- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 75 

ing the first thing in the morning, and last at night. 
The cigar is principally used ; which is made by the 
women, and very mild. 

The mothers seem fond of their children, and 
manage to raise great numbers of them ; the young- 
est one is usually found resting on its mother's hip, 
with its legs clasping her waist, and supported there 
by the arm carried behind its back ; while the 
older members of the group are usually occupied 
with holding their great toes. They manifest, as 
a class, but very little interest in improvements, and 
evidently consider a life of indolence the happiest, 
and have little idea of freedom, except in the per- 
mission to do as they please. 

The Spanish descendants and Mestizoes of the 
Isthmus profess to be Catholics ; but they have very 
limited ideas of a future state, as well as of this, 
and are apparently as indifferent as they are igno- 
rant. "When sick, they bear it without a murmur, 
if free from pain ; and if they expect to die, they 
require to be dressed in their best apparel, possibly 
with the idea of appearing as respectable as pos- 
sible in another world," where they all expect to be 
much happier, and more generously provided for, 
than here. 



CHAPTEE X. 

The Domestic Animals — Cows — Horses — Mules— Hogs— Fowls- 
Dogs— Wild Animals — Monkeys— "Wild Hogs— The Tapir, Oce- 
lot, Jaguar, Bears, &c. — Birds and their Habits — The Toucon — 
The Parrot Tribe — The Scarlet Macaw — Humming Birds and 
their Habits — Aquatic Birds — Reptiles— Alligators, Boa Constric- 
tors, Ignanos, &c. 

The domestic animals of the Isthmus are horned 
cattle, horses, mules, hogs, and fowls. The cattle 
herds 'are quite numerous ; every native who owns 
land keeps a drove of sometimes fifty or a hundred, 
which they value at forty or fifty dollars a head, 
their currency, being equal to thirty-two and forty 
dollars our money. They are smaller than the aver- 
age of North American cattle, but hardy looking, 
and tough beyond a question, even after having been 
subjected to the usual processes of cooking. The 
natives seldom ever milk their cows, and when they 
do, it will be so irregularly that they soon cease to 
afford milk sufficient to reward them for the trouble. 
The horses are small but enduring, and often of 
a very perfect figure. They are not numerous, as 
mules are principally used. Neither are kept to any 
great extent, except between Gorgona and Panama, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 77 

where mules are used altogether for crossing the 
mountains on that route. 

The hog seems to be a favorite animal among 
these people, and the filthy grunters are found at al- 
most every ranch. They are a long nosed, ugly 
looking beast, but require no care, as they find an 
abundant subsistence from the various nuts and veg- 
etables in the woods. 

Chickensjire raised to a considerable extent, and 
their eggs are highly prized ; at least I have known 
two dimes to be charged a piece for them, although 
the usual price is but a medio. 

I must not forget to mention that faithful follow- 
er of man, the dog, in this connection, although not 
always a very agreeable companion. Several va- 
rieties of the species are common on the Isthmus, and 
they are great favorites with their masters, who al- 
low them to share equally with them in household 
privileges. 

The monkey is by far the most conspicuous 
among the wild beasts that inhabit the whole range 
of the dense forests of the Isthmus. Every where 
their hideous bowlings are to be heard, especially at 
night fall, ' or~iinmediately preceding rain. There 
are many different varieties, and a large, black, 
bushy headed kind, quite common, will roar like 
a lion, and is often taken for that animal, at 
first sight, by strangers. These animals present as 
differing physiognomies as men, and vary as widely 
in color; some black, some red, while others are 
quite light complexioned, and 1 have no doubt far 



78 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

more respectable monkeys than their colored breth- 
ren of the forest. The red kind are said to be the 
most noisy, but from the serenades we were favored 
with, I should judge that it took all classes to make 
the nights so hideous. 

Two kinds of wild hogs are occasionally to be 
found ; one with a long snout, and having two large 
tusks projecting from the lower jaw, which renders 
them very ugly looking, but otherwise not differing 
much from the common domestic animal. The other 
is shorter and of a gray color, with its bristles or long 
coarse hair standing out, giving it a scrubby appear- 
ance. The flesh of the last is particularly esteemed 
by the natives. 

The tapir is a solitary animal, intermediate be- 
tween a hog and a hippopotamus, both of which it 
in some respects resembles. It is sometimes called 
the hippopotamus of the ]STew "World, being like that 
animal, not only in appearance but in its disposition 
and habits, although not larger than a small cow. 
One was killed at Bujio Soldado, and its flesh was 
found equal in quality to the native beef. It has a 
long slender nose, forming a sort of probocis capable 
of voluntary contraction and extension. It is inoffen- 
sive and timid, fleeing from, rather than resisting 
danger. It sleeps during the day, and feeds at night, 
wholly on vegetables ; its skin is very thick, and 
when dried will resist an arrow, and is used by the 
natives to make sandals. The ocelot, jaguar, bear, 
and deer, are said to be occasionally seen, but they 
are by no means common. Sloths and several species 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 79 

of the oppossum are quite numerous ; also the ant- 
eater, a remarkable animal that subsists entirely up- 
on that insect. 

The birds of the Isthmus are very numerous, and 
embrace some of the most interesting varieties. 
Many of them are migratory, leaving at the com- 
mencement of the rainy season for the dry atmos- 
phere of a more southern climate, where they 
abound in still greater numbers in the forests of 
Brazil, Paragua, and other places. I did not have 
the opportunity of observing but a comparatively 
small number, and among them were swallows, 
whippoorwills, several species of hawks, wild tur- 
keys, partridges, cuckoos, wood-peckers, turkey- 
buzzards, <fec. The toucon is a very interesting 
bird, and very common. It is remarkable for the 
large size of its bill, it being from four to five inches 
long, but very celular and consequently light ; the 
tongue is long but slender, and barbed at its edges, 
so that when it swallows, it is obliged to throw its head 
back, or toss its food up in the air, and catch it deep 
in the throat as it falls. It subsists on fruit and in- 
sects. The plumage of the different species varies 
much, but it is often very beautiful, embracing the 
crimson, yellow and blue colors, which are more or 
less blended ; while some are principally black, 
with green and other shades, and a red band about 
the neck. 

The parrot tribe embraces a number of varieties, 
of which the common green parrot and paroquet 
are the most common, while the macaw is the most 



80 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

beautiful and least frequently met with of any. 
The scarlet macaw is the most splendid, not only 
from the beauty of its plumage, but its size, being 
the largest of the tribe. The head, neck, breast, 
belly, thighs, and upper part of the back, is of a 
bright red or scarlet color. The quill feathers of the 
wings are of a fine blue, externally, and of a faint 
red on the under side, rendering it truly one of 
the gayest looking objects of the tropical forests ; 
while the paroquets seem to insist upon their right 
to the character, by keeping up a lively and almost 
constant chatter. 

Great numbers of humming birds are to be seen 
flitting about among the "flowers which supply a 
never failing harvest for them, as well as the^ honey 
bees of the Isthmus. "Wherever a flower is bloom- 
ing, either in the dense forest or in the open field, 
these little gems of animated nature may be found 
darting about, or apparently suspended in mid air, 
with their slender bills insinuated into its deep 
chambers, extracting its sweets. They vary much 
in size and appearance, some being as large as a 
wren, while others are scarcely of the size of the 
humbler bees which hover about the same flower, 
and with which they are sometimes seen engaged in 
fierce combat, apparently contesting the right to its 
delicious treasure. The different classes combine 
all the hues of the rainbow in their plumage, and 
often many in the same bird. They usually suspend 
their tiny nest upon the twig of a tree, and feed 
upon the little insects and sweets of flowers. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 81 

The aquatic birds most common are herons, 
cranes, pelicans and ducks, which are found upon 
the inland streams and along the coast. 

The class of reptiles embraces a great variety of 
formidable and poisonous animals, such as the alli- 
gator, which is found in the marshes, and along the 
rivers, in great numbers ; the boa constrictor, 
although not common, is yet occasionally seen, with 
a great variety of other snakes, lizards, guanas, &c. 
The guana, or iguana, belongs to the class of lizards, 
but differs from them in many particulars. They are 
often found three or four feet long, and move about 
with great velocity, equally expert upon land, in 
the water, or upon the branches of a tree. Some of 
them have projecting spines along the back, and flat 
tails like an eel, with which they move themselves 
through the water. They lay their eggs in the sand, 
and leave them to be hatched by the warmth of the 
sun. The natives sometimes cut them open and re- 
move their eggs, after which they are said to recover. 
The flesh is as delicate as a chicken, and very much 
liked by some persons. 

Frogs and toads are said to be very numerous, 
and of enormous size upon this Isthmus ; yet I saw 
but very few, although I was there during the whole 
of the rainy season, when such animals are most ra- 
pidly propagated. Although numerous and veno- 
mous as reptiles are, not a single serious wound oc- 
curred that came under my observation, among all 
the men employed upon the public works, although 
constantly exposed to them. 
5 



OHAPTEE XI. 

The Insect Tribes — a Forest Walk— An Ant's path— Their Habitation 
— Manner of Working — Queen Ant — Their System of Government 
— Rules of Warfare — The Comijens — Their Distinctive Habits — 
Butterflies — Moths — Tarantulas — Scorpions — Fire-Flies and Lan- 
tern-Bugs—Sand-Flies and Fleas — Garapattas — Chigoe or Jigger 
— Musketoes, &c. 

The inter-tropical regions have ever been recog- 
nized as furnishing the favorite abodes of the Insect 
tribes, and the section under consideration has not 
been neglected nor passed over by them. 

Imagine yourself, friendly reader, in company 
with the writer, on an excursion into one of the deep 
wilds of the Isthmus forest. The sun shines bril- 
liantly, and the deep foliage, as you look up, seems 
one vast transparency of varying green, garnished 
here and there with gorgeous flowers, around which 
the humming bird and humble bee are fluttering and 
flitting away. The noisy chatter of a flock of paro- 
quets has ceased, and it is only the occasional notes 
of some one of the many songsters of the field that is 
heard ; and all would be profoundly silent, were it 
not for the murmur that is constantly falling plea- 
santly upon the ear, the united melody of countless 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 83 

myriads of animated things, all basking in the same 
sunlight that enticed us forth ; when a locust strikes 
his lyre, and the mind is turned from its contempla- 
tion of the music of insects, to the rough grating of 
the scissor-grinder. 

As we walk along we come upon a path eight or 
ten inches wide, and perfectly clear of vegetable 
matter ; and on observing, it will be found traversed 
by great numbers of ants, either black or white, and 
nearly all going one way, bearing burdens, probably 
a piece of green leaf the size of a dime, and upon 
this, perhaps, one or more smaller ants, while the 
travellers in the other direction will be after the same. 
Interrupt, or in any way obstruct this thoroughfare, 
and the little creatures will first come up on each 
side, and after surveying the obstacle, turn back, 
and communicating with those they meet, a force 
will soon be collected, which will set to work and 
remove, or prepare a new way by the obstruction. 
Following the laden ants we come to a rivulet, and 
along this to where a tree has fallen across, we 
must find our way, for our pioneers have made a 
bridge of it, and thus for many rods may we be led 
along, until at last, perhaps, they climb a tree, and 
leave us to view their habitation suspended from a 
branch far above our reach, or else we find ourselves 
beside a mound with towers, or unequal elevations. 
If curiosity predominates over humanity, we will 
carefully cut this down through the centre with a 
machete, and moving one half away, we shall find 
near the middle and at the bottom, a large cell con- 



84 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

taining the queen ant. On examination, this indi- 
vidual will be found enormously distended with 
eggs, which she deposits in great numbers daily, and 
which are removed by the working ants, who find 
ingress and egress to this state apartment through 
small apertures for that purpose, and for supplying 
their royal leader with food ; for she is a prisoner 
for life, dependent solely upon her subjects. The 
larva, or eggs, are deposited in ante-chambers and ul- 
timately mature, and being provided with wings they 
take their flight in a swarm like bees, but finally be- 
come separated, and each female ant choosing a lo- 
cation, is made the nucleus of another community. 
She first casts off her wings and builds her own 
tenement, which is at first very small, but wander- 
ing ants adopt her as their sovereign, and relieve her 
from all duties but to furnish subjects, which she 
does at a rate beyond the comparison of any other 
animal. Fortunately for other animated species, these 
young ants, in their first flight, are mostly destroyed 
by rain or birds, and other animals. I have known 
them to accumulate on a window in the evening in 
immense quantities, to which they were attracted 
by the light of a candle, and on the following morn- 
ing they were mostly found dead on the ground be- 
neath it. 

These commonwealths of ants appear to be go- 
verned by the most perfect system ; they have not 
only a king and queen, but are said to be divided into 
soldiers and laborers ; the first acting as a body 
guard to their majesties. These white ants wage 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 85 

war on the colored race, and make slaves of them, 
and those seen upon pieces of leaves, being conveyed 
away, were probably captured subjects taken after an 
engagement. The white ants of this country corres- 
pond very nearly with the termits of Africa, de- 
scribed by ^meathman ; they are called here conii- 
jens ; and if they once get engaged upon a piece of 
timber, they seldom leave it until it is rendered 
worthless by their ravages. An exceedingly minute 
red, and also a black ant, is found very troublesome 
here. They build a covered way upon the inner 
walls of a building, and establish their colony in the 
upper part of the house, and thus you often find 
them neighbors in your domicils, and probably bed- 
fellows. They are evidently omniverous, being 
readily attracted by anything sweet, and also ex- 
hibit a bad taste in attacking dead animals. A 
beautiful bird I had obtained and laid away for a 
short time, was immediately covered with them, and 
in a few hours it was stripped of the small feathers 
and down, which were scattered for several inches 
around it ; from whence they came I could not dis- 
cover, but I was careful that they did not return 
the same way, for having destroyed my specimen. 

They are indefatigable in their determination to 
pursue any course upon which they have started. 
For more than a week I caused the progress of a 
community that attempted to build a passage way 
through my room, to be interrupted daily, but each 
succeeding night it was rebuilt. 

In contemplating these wonderful little creatures, 



86 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

we have wandered in onr remarks from the settle- 
ment we had broken in upon, and so it is absolutely 
necessary to do practically, or we receive the most 
positive demonstration of their ability to seek out 
and punish their enemies. When we can obtain the 
opportunity to examine through the various apart- 
ments, windings and ramifications of these industri- 
ous communities, the mind is at once impressed with 
the stupendous character of their habitations and 
highways compared relatively with anything ever 
accomplished by human hands, or contemplated by 
the mind of man. 

The sun by this time is beclouded, or perhaps 
is getting down behind a high mountain in the 
west ; the monkeys have commenced their howlings, 
and the moths, which are numerous, and often mea- 
sure three or four inches over the tips of their wings, 
have started out from their hiding places, while the 
gaily colored butterflies, so beautiful, and of many 
varieties, are looking up their night quarters. The 
music of the insects has ceased, or rather the field is 
now occupied by another, and differently toned choir, 
while we start on our way homeward ; but as there 
is yet time, we will look up a few specimens on our 
way. The moths are better caught by candle light, 
and the butterflies have a perplexing habit of keep- 
ing out of our way, although we would rush almost 
any where to obtain one of the large blue ones that 
we so frequently see. So, therefore, we will content 
ourselves in turning over pieces of wood and stones 
in search for spiders, and we may turn up a large 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 87 

black tarantula, tliat will be well worth saving, or 
pull down the leaves of a large plant, and likely 
enough a scorpion will come to light. The sting of 
this animal is very painful, and the bite of the taran- 
tula is said to be fatal to life, but probably not as 
much so as the red species of Mexico. 

Arriving at our quarters, we sit down in the 
veranda, and, with the disappearance of daylight, 
watch the fire-flies and lantern-bugs as they ap- 
pear. The last are numerous only at times, and 
differ from the common fire-fly in being much larger, 
and giving out a constant phosphoric light from two 
points on their heads, and so exceedingly brilliant 
that four or five of them, under a glass, will produce 
light sufficient to read by. Many other nocturnal 
insects will be constantly flitting about, which, with 
sand-flies and fleas, will soon convince us that it is 
time to seek more perfect repose. But before at- 
tempting this it is always best to make a physical 
examination of not only the chest, but the whole 
body and extremities ; and more than likely a pair 
of delicate forceps will be called into use, in order 
to pick off the garapattas, a kind of wood-tick that 
has transferred itself from plants to us ; or, if you 
have been in the country for a few weeks, per- 
haps the toes will be found festered on the ends, or 
these white pimples will appear in other parts, and 
on examination a little nest of eggs, scarcely per- 
ceptible to the naked eye, will be discovered. These 
are contained in a little sack, which it is desirable 
to remove entire, for if an egg is left behind, it will 



88 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

hatch a very minute worm, that will borough in the 
flesh, and make a bad sore. These eggs are de- 
posited by the chigoe or jigger, which is about the 
size of a flea, and belongs to the same tribe. After 
having removed the pestiferous nest, fill the cavity 
with cigar ashes or fine tobacco, and then stick a 
piece of court plaster over it, and it will soon be 
well. There is another insect, and probably of the 
same species, that deposits an egg that becomes a 
maggot half an inch long, and is often found on 
laborers, deep in the flesh, but always leaving an 
external opening, out of which it will often project 
its black head, and look at you, especially if spirits 
of turpentine, which is the best remedy for them, has 
been ejected into its habitation. 

After having finished this examination, and sat- 
isfied yourself that the intruders are all disposed of, 
and resorted to the bed, a musketoe, that yon have 
not been sufficiently careful to keep outside the bar, 
will appear, evidently indulging the absurd idea that 
you may be lulled to sleep by his music, and then 
quietly take his evening meal. These pests are not 
very numerous, but exceedingly fond of the blood 
of a white man ; and knowing this, you resolve on 
his extermination, which being effected, you finally 
fall to sleep, thinking that, after all, man is some- 
times exceedingly troubled with very little things. 



CHAPTER XII. 

The Climate of the Isthmus — Its influence on Health — Predisposing 
and exciting causes of Disease — The Precautions necessary in 
oi ding them— Character of the Diseases — Habits of the Natives 
when Sick. 

With regard to the climate of the Isthmus of Pan- 
ama, and the causes of disease there, every variety 
of opinion is expressed that can be conceived, even 
upon this fruitful subject, when once taken up by 
the public. By some it is claimed to be quite as 
healthy as any other climate, and especially exempt 
from the necessarily fatal class of diseases ; while 
others contend that it is the most pestilential in the 
world, and I have somewhere seen it stated in print, 
that it is "so deadly that an European can not 
for any length of time endure it ;" and that " animal 
life of every kind, and especially the human species, 
were very imperfectly propagated in consequence of 
its enervating influence." 

With regard to the last it is but necessary to state, 

that a walk through any of the native towns will be 

alone sufficient to prove the contrary, unless it is the 

morale instead of the phvsical nature objected to : 

5* 



00 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

and as to the lower creations, they certainly abound 
in the greatest number and variety. 

The latitude of that part of the Isthmus over 
which the Panama Kailroad passes, is between 8 
and 9 degrees north, and consequently is subjected 
twice in the year to the vertical rays of the sun, viz. : 
about the 21st of April and near the middle of Au- 
gust. The year is divided into two seasons, with little 
else to distinguish them than that the one is wet, and 
the other dry, and in this they are strongly marked. 
The rainy season is their winter, and corresponds 
with our summer, the rains beginning to fall about 
the first of May, usually, and terminate in Decem- 
ber ; and thus, although this is their coolest season, 
in consequence of the heavy rains and evaporation, 
yet it is also the period when the sun's rays fall most 
vertically ; and therefore the two great elements in 
the production of unhealthy exhalations, viz. : heat 
and moisture, are operating in their extremest degree 
at the same time. But it should be understood that 
it is while the surface is undergoing the change from 
wet to dry, that miasma is eliminated most rap- 
idly. 

During the first two or three months of the wet 
season, it does not rain more than is generally found 
agreeable for comfort, and to advance the growth 
of vegetation ; and about the 21st of June it clears 
up, and probably not a drop of rain will fall for a 
week. This season is called by the natives El Ye- 
ranito di San Juan. (Little summer of St. John.) 
Now, during this period, the earth is alternately 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 9l 

saturated and parched, and consequently there is al- 
ways more or less fever prevailing. But it is at the 
commencement of the dry season, when the rivers 
that have been swollen by the heavy rains, fall to 
their usual level, and the low grounds and marshes 
that have been inundated, become dry, that we look 
for what may be termed strictly the sickly season. 

Dysenteries and diarrheas prevail more com- 
monly during the wet season, and for very obvious 
reasons. Notwithstanding the elevation of the sun 
during the day, the nights are often quite cool. ISTow, 
there is nothing more favorable to the development 
of these diseases than sudden changes of tempera- 
ture ; and here we have them. The laborer at work 
in the field first swelters under the hot sun, and then 
is suddenly cooled off by a shower of rain, and most 
likely sleeps at night exposed to the chilly air, which, 
under all circumstances, should be most scrupulously 
avoided. 

"With such influences as these acting, it would be 
very unreasonable to expect but that the country 
would be more or less unhealthy, which is truly the 
case ; yet four-fifths of the cases of disease which 
occur there are simple intermittent fever, or ague 
and fever, which the judicious use of fifteen grains 
of quinine will entirely remove, leaving the patient, 
after one paroxysm, as well as he was before. 

Diarrheas and dysenteries are also usually very 
light in their character, and easily controlled by the 
appropriate remedies. Of the more severe forms of 
epidemical diseases, it was not in my exjDerience to 



92 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

see but little, nor could I hear from reliable sources 
of their existence to any great extent, unless it was 
perhaps at Chagres. "With the exception of one 
season, there has never been any cholera, and then 
but few cases occurred, and they were confined to 
Chagres and Gorgona ; and yellow fever has never 
yet been known, at least so I was informed, and I 
never learned to the contrary. A severe form of re- 
mittent or bilious fever prevails to a considerable 
extent, sometimes, and there are occasional cases of 
a bad form of congestive fever, but they are usually, 
if not always, the result of great exposure, or intem- 
perance. 

Almost every one who visits the Isthmus to re- 
main there any considerable length of time must ex- 
pect, as a matter of course, to be more or less af- 
fected by the climate, yet not necessarily to have 
fever. They will be predisposed to it by the miasma, 
but whether or not they will have it will depend, of- 
tentimes, upon an exciting cause. 

By observing proper precautions, a great deal 
may be done to avoid the miasma, which is the es- 
sential cause of the fevers. Miasma is eliminated 
while the surface is drying, after having been satu- 
rated by an overflow of the streams or previous rains ; 
consequently, at such times the atmosjDhere contains 
more poison than any other. Another fact which has 
long been observed is, that the evening or night air 
is most of all pernicious, not so much because it is 
cool or damp, but from the unhealthy exhalations 
which hover near the earth like smoke and fog, dur- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 93 

ing the night, more than at any other time. The 
pleasant evenings after clear days, which are always 
delightful in that climate, are by far the worst, espe- 
cially if there has been rain within a short time pre- 
vious. The night air is so balmy and fresh after a 
hot day, that it is almost impossible to resist the temp- 
tation to enjoy it, at least with open windows or in 
the veranda; yet it is very imprudent to do so. 
Another precaution of more consequence still, is to 
close up from the night air the sleeping room, which 
for reasons already assigned, should never be on the 
ground floor. While sleeping, the system is very 
much relaxed, and perhaps drenched in perspiration, 
and consequently far more impressible than at any 
other time ; and moreover, about 12 o'clock, the tem- 
perature of the atmosphere usually becomes much 
lower than at any other part of the twenty-four hours. 
ISTow in order to avoid the miasma on the one hand, 
and the sudden change of temperature on the other, 
it is always desirable to sleep in an upper room, and 
this should invariably be constructed with a venti- 
lator in the roof. 

By adopting these few simple precautions, the 
essential cause of the fevers of this climate may, in 
a great measure, be avoided. I know it is exceed- 
ingly difficult to be always governed by these rules, 
and at present impracticable, yet they should be ob- 
served as far as possible, and ultimately these observ- 
ances may become incorporated with the established 
customs of life, and then they will incur neither re- 
straint nor ir. convenience. 



94 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

There is another class of causes far more nume- 
rous, aud perhaps more important ; by which I mean 
everything calculated to excite fever after the sys- 
tem has become predisposed to it. Foreigners resi- 
ding in this climate usually become, after a time, 
a good deal enervated ; they find they cannot per- 
form near as much labor, either physical or men- 
tal, as in a northern climate. An extreme degree of 
lassitude overtakes them at times, and they feel it 
almost impossible to perform auy duties whatever. 
This is the effect of miasma; the system contains 
the fuel of fever, which only requires to be ignited. 
Now this is the state in which exciting causes are in- 
strumental in producing the disease, and anything 
may be deemed such that excites or taxes the system 
to any considerable extent, as excessive fatigue, ex- 
posure to the sun long continued, or a shower of rain 
while perspiring, over indulgence in eating, and, 
above all, in the use of stimulating drink. During 
my services of nearly six months, as one of the Sur- 
geons to the Panama Railroad Company, I never 
saw a single case of fever from which I apprehended 
a fatal result, but in persons of intemperate habits ; 
and the only two patients, whose cases terminated 
fatally, under my charge, had been immediately pre- 
vious on a debauch. 

Of all the exciting causes of fever, I believe this 
by far the most potent in its results, if not the most 
common. I am aware that there are exceptions to 
this — that there are those who bear up under the 
influence of the use of stimulating drinks — but they 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 95 

must be considered as exceptions, and their number 
is very small. The effect of stimulants is to derange 
the functions of the liver, which is also the effect of 
the climate ; and under the influence of both, there 
are few constitutions that can long resist diseases. 
I have no expectation of convincing the public of 
this fact, for many are too blindly conceited in their 
own opinions to regard the advice of any one, and 
such usually work out their experience at a fearful 
cost. Under the influence of the first debilitating 
effects of the climate, nothing is more natural than 
the suggestion to " take a little brandy to prop up 
the energies of the system ;" and there are always 
enough to give this advice, and participate in the 
administration ; and for a time the effect may seem 
salutary ; but soon the sallow complexion, the irri- 
table temper, and frequent accession of fever, will 
indicate too plainly the work that is going on. 

In a country like this, perhaps more than any 
other, where there are but few facts established in 
the popular mind with regard to health, every one 
voluntarily turns medical adviser ; and I believe, as 
a general thing, the most ignorant are the most for- 
ward in their pretences and opinions ; and nothing 
can exceed the ridiculous absurdity often exhibited 
by such parties upon this grave subject, with no bet- 
ter authority for the support of their views, than 
that they " believe so," and that is sufficient. 

It is exceedingly difficult to convince people that 
stimulants are not conducive to health in a climate 
where the tendency is to debility ; but such persons 



U6 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

usually undergo a series of revolutions in opinion in 
the course of a few months, and it is curious to see 
how faithfully they will adhere to its use in some 
form. Commencing with brandy indiscriminately, 
they soon conclude that it must be of the " best 
quality," and used " moderately," but this is not to 
be endured long. Whisky, old Monongahela 
"Whisky, will next be tried, and most probably be 
discovered to be the stimulus for the climate ; but 
this soon wears out, and then gin, and perhaps rum, 
down to porter, ale and claret will all follow in their 
turn, each receiving its medium of praise as being 
just the thing for the particular constitution; yet 
one and all of them are alike pernicious, with the 
exception, perhaps, of claret, moderately used, 
which may do no harm if it is good ; but the others, 
im proportion as they contain the stimulating prin- 
ciple, are injurious, however carefully taken, to 
nineteen-twentieths of those who reside upon the 
Isthmus, by promoting the diseases of the climate, 
laying all other considerations aside. IsTor is it the 
use of alcoholic drinks on the Isthmus alone that is 
found injurious ; but those who, previous to going 
there, have been intemperate — whose constitutions 
have become in the slightest degree impaired — are 
almost sure to break down at once. I have seen 
this effect in so many instances, that I have no hesi- 
tation in setting it down as an almost invariable 
rule, and therefore would advise any such unfortu- 
nate individual to keep off of the Isthmus if he values 
his life as of the least possible consequence. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 97 

Every one has probably heard of the " Chagres 
fever," which is usually spoken of with an emphasis 
that strikes terror to the timid, especially if they 
have ever been exposed to the atmosphere of that 
place. 

Although the name is not, by any means, a 
classic one, yet it has the advantage of being correct, 
in a general sense ; for I do not believe that there 
is another place in the world, where the causes of 
diseases are developed and fostered to a greater ex- 
tent than they are in this place of most unenviable 
notoriety. The consequence is, that a bad and fatal 
form of fever prevails there at times, which is most 
emphatically the fever of Chagres ; and the unmea- 
sured use of intoxicating drinks is one of its prin- 
cipal causes. 

Exposure to the rains of that country is another 
very common exciting cause of fever, and it should 
be very carefully avoided. This has been one of the 
great causes of fever and dysentery among the la- 
borers on the Panama Railroad. Often they would 
scarcely get to their work, when a sudden shower 
would fall upon them, and when perspiring pro- 
fusely over the spade or pick. If they abandoned 
work for the day, but few would have the prudence 
to change their clothes for dry ones ; and perhaps 
resume the same wet garments the following morn- 
ing. JSFow, nothing can be more prejudicial to 
health anywhere, than such habits as these, and 
when we add to this, the perhaps worse practice of. 
sleeping with the windows and doors of their quar- 



98 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

ters open, which they would always insist upon do- 
ing, it is more a matter of wonder than otherwise 
that they endure the climate as well as they do. The 
Railroad Company make the most liberal provisions 
for their comfort, but it was always impossible to 
make them understand that there were any reasons 
for closing a house, other than to keep out the cold. 
The native, on the approach of a shower, strips off 
his shirt, which is probably the only garment he 
wears ; securing it in a dry place, he lets the rain 
fall upon his bare back, and then resumes his cover- 
ing after it is over. 

This is truly a primitive mode of protection from 
rain, yet from what I have seen, I judge it to be the 
best. The perspiration may be checked for the time 
and the system receive a shock from so plentiful a 
shower bath ; but the function of the skin is imme- 
diately restored by the dry covering, and on the 
whole, upon hydropathic principles, I am not sure 
but the subject has received a tonic after nature's 
purest method, and without interfering with his time 
or business. But when a native gets the fever, he 
repudiates this practice altogether, so much so, that 
it is exceedingly difficult oftentimes to get them to 
take any remedy combined with water ; and they 
most scrupulously avoid the application of water 
externally, even in quantity sufficient to keep them- 
selves clean. The natives' remedy for fever is limes, 
the juice of which they suck from them while the 
fever is on, with slices of the same placed upon the 
forehead and temples, and with this simple treatment, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 99 

and abstinence from water and food, they readily 
recover. Bathing in the streams is a very common 
practice among them dnring the dry season, but they 
seldom indulge in this luxury after ten o'clock, and 
rarely at all during the rainy season. 

A very wide-spread impression prevails in the 
public mind in favor of a Southern climate for those 
who are predisposed to, or affected with consump- 
tive diseases ; and as a general thing, such is the 
case ; but the Isthmus is an exception to the general 
rule ; for, whether or not it is the approximation of 
the two oceans, and almost constant sea breezes, or 
the extreme dampness of the climate ; either or both 
of these causes ; in no place have I seen consump- 
tion more rapidly developed ; indeed, it is the dis- 
ease of which the natives very commonly die. The 
same is true of almost every other taint in the sys- 
tem — as, for instance, chronic syphilis is almost sure 
to be developed, if there are any seeds of it lurking 
in the constitution. 

A very important consideration for those who 
visit this climate, is that of dress. The experience 
of the English and American Army and ISTavy sur- 
geons in tropical climates, is well sustained here 
with regard to the use of flannels. There is nothing 
which so well protects the cutaneous surface against 
the effects of sun and rain, as this material ; it pre- 
vents the rapid evaporation from the surface, and 
consequent sudden check of the perspiration ; and a 
shower of rain or the night air may be borne with 
far greater safety if the skin is protected by this co- 



100 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

vering ; and light gauze flannel next to the skin will 
usually be found to add much to the comfort ; but 
to those who are frquently exposed, a good substan- 
tial red or blue one is much preferable. 

Another preventive which I deem of great im- 
portance, and which has hitherto been entirely neg- 
lected, is the use of fires. During the rainy sea- 
son the atmosphere is very damp, and pervades 
everything ; even the closest drawers will not exclude 
it, and clothes will become mouldy without frequent 
sunning, or the liberal use of camphor gum sprin- 
kled among them. Such an atmosphere, especially 
in a sleeping room, must, of course, be more or less 
detrimental to health ; but its effects may be entirely 
overcome by the occasional use of a fire in the af- 
ternoon, when the air is frequently so cool as to 
render it very grateful to the senses. Heat is, more- 
over, one of the most powerful disinfectant agents 
we have, but how far it would prove effectual in 
dissipating the miasma is not certainly known, al- 
though there is no doubt but that it would to a con- 
siderable extent. 

The observance of the precautions which I have 
but imperfectly here laid down, for the guide of 
those who go out to this country, I am very con- 
fident would do much for the exemption of disease ; 
and I know no positive reason why the Isthmus of 
Panama may not, in the future, undergo as great 
a change in this respect, by the population of the 
country and cultivation of the soil, as have many 
portions of our Western and Southern States. 



CHAPTEK XIII. 

Inter -communication between the Atlantic and Pacific — Advantages to 
Commerce — To the Growth and Prospeoity of the Pacific States — 
New lines of Steamships — Their effect in meliorating the Condition 
of Mankind. 

The subject which more than all others has called 
the attention of the public mind to the consideration 
of the Isthmus of Panama, is that of inter-communi- 
cation at this point between the Atlantic and Pacific 
Oceans. Since the acquisition of California, the ne- 
cessity for some better means of transit has become 
much greater than ever, and may be deemed abso- 
lutely essential to the commercial interest of the 
whole world. But this is not a necessity of the pre- 
sent time merely, suddenly springing up, and liable 
to be superseded hereafter ; but on the other hand, 
so open to the eyes of the world have been the ad- 
vantages to be derived from connecting the two 
oceans by a railroad or ship canal, that, as early as 
1827, General Bolivar caused the country to be sur- 
veyed, in order to ascertain the most practical route ; 
and since then, the English and French governments 
have done the same, and the subject has been elab- 
orately discussed by Baron Yon Humboldt, Louis 
Napoleon Bonaparte, and many others, of less dis- 
tinction, but perhaps of equal judgment ; but it has 



102 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

remained for American enterprise to put in pro- 
gress of execution this great work, which will add 
another to the many monuments of her indubitable 
energy and enterprise. 

A recent writer in speaking of the advantages to 
England's commerce in this route, over all others, 
says : " Even now the western route over the Isthmus, 
spite of the harrassing and tedious passage across 
it, is much the nearer way to the British possessions 
in the South. Pacific — the New Zealand, the Great 
Britain of the southern hemisphere, and the Austral 
continent." "There are three routes which it is 
known can be accomplished by steam in the follow- 
ing average times : The eastern route, or that by 
Suez and Singapore — 

Outward Yoyage, . . 80 days. 

Homeward do. ... 71 " 

151 

The western route, by Panama and New Zealand, 
allowing twenty-three days from Southampton to 
Panama : 

Outward Yoyage, . .64 days. 

Homeward do . . . 68 " 

127 



Bound the Cape of Good Hope 

rd Yoyage, 
svard do 

Total, ... 144 days." 



Outward Yoyage, . . 72 days. 

Homeward do ... 72 u 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 103 

So that the western route to Austral Asia, as at 
present existing, is shorter by thirty-four days than 
the eastern route, and by seventeen days than that 
by the Cape. Now when we add to this the differ- 
ence in time occupied in crossing the Isthmus by the 
best means hitherto, and by railroad, which cannot 
be less than four or $.vq days from the Atlantic to 
the Pacific, we find it will give this route a prece- 
dence of at least twenty-one days ; a very important 
item in the commerce of Great Britain with the 
countries in. the Pacific and Indian Oceans, to which 
her exports amount to about thirty millions of pounds 
sterling ; and an advantage which she will not fail 
to avail herself of when the door is fairly open. 

But it is to the advantages likely to accrue to our 
own commerce, in uniting more intimately the At- 
lantic and Pacific states, that we look for the great- 
est results that will follow the completion of this 
long contemplated enterprise. 

"Within the last three years there have probably 
150,000 persons crossed the Isthmus of Panama, at 
an average expense of not less than $30 each, which 
is at least $20 more than it will cost by the railroad, 
which will be a saving in the future for that number 
of the travelling public, of $3,000,000, independent 
of the more important items still, of time, and in- 
describable sufferings, which so many are familiar 
with, who have hitherto crossed the Isthmus by 
boats and mules. 

But these are but few of the many items of im- 
portance to be considered in this relation. Whence 
come the supplies, the provisions, clothing imple- 



104 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

ments of every kind, and even the houses, or mate- 
rials for building them, which were necessary for 
the already large population of California? It is 
well known that they were, for the most part, ship- 
ped from the different American ports along the 
Atlantic Ocean ; that those cities and villages have 
been transported hence by long and perilous voy- 
ages around Cape Horn. Attempt for a moment to 
estimate the cost, in time and money, thus incurred, 
and it will be found that the mind is incapable of 
grasping the stupendous fact. 

Another important feature, which will be incal- 
culable in its advantages to the growing interests of 
California — arising from the easy and agreeable 
means of transit across the Isthmus — will be, that 
of the nocking thitherward of the families of those 
who are already there as pioneers, paving the way 
to fortune, and of such as shall go in the future ; 
thus revolutionizing the social habits of that coun- 1 
try, and establishing a more permanent and happy 
state of society. Hitherto this has been one of the 
greatest detriments to emigration there, and the 
separation from the happy influences of home has 
been one of the worst in its effects on the habits and 
characters of that people. In carrying out the al- 
ready contemplated plan of establishing a line of 
steamships from Panama to Australia and China, a 
new impetus will be given to that trade, which may 
be extended to any extent, and do much towards 
enlightening the inhabitants of the " Celestial Em- 
pire" in regard to the real progress of the rest of 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 105 

the world, from which they have so scrupulously, 
and so much against their own interest, shut them- 
selves out of the past. 

The Pacific whale fisheries form another branch 
of commerce, which will come in for a share of the 
benefits to be derived from this great work, in en- 
abling the ships in this trade to discharge their car- 
goes and receive their stores so near the fields in 
which they cruise, and thus make quicker and more 
profitable returns to their owners. The rapidly ex- 
tending steam navigation of the Pacific will soon 
create a demand for coal, which it will be almost 
impossible to supply by the present means around 
Cape Horn. This has, so far, been one of the great- 
est obstacles and expenses attending the establish- 
ment of steamship lines upon the coast ; but with 
the arrangements already making for the transit of 
this material across the Isthmus by the Panama 
Kailroad, this difficulty will be, in a great measure, 
remedied, and the expense lightened. Look as we 
may, upon every hand, and it is almost impossible 
to conceive of any great public interest that will not 
be enhanced by the completion of this long contem- 
plated desideratum in the commercial communica- 
tion of the world. ]STor is it alone what is under- 
stood as " public interest," that is to be advanced, 
though indeed this is nothing more than the aggre- 
gation of private benefits ; but how many thousands, 
altogether disconnected from any great public en- 
terprise, are already looking forward to the time 
when their individual advantage may be subserved 
6 



106 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

in some way by the completion of this important 
undertaking. 

The ultimate effect of thi| line of railroad on the 
Province of J^Tew Grenada can scarcely yet be con- 
ceived. In opening the doors, however, to her 
commerce — that greatest of all channels through 
which flows the wealth, prosperity and progress of 
every country — it cannot help stimulating the dor- 
mant energies and awakening a new life in that 
people7*and urging them in some degree to reclaim 
themselves from the comparatively low position they 
hold in relation to almost every enlightened nation, 
in all that pertains to agriculture, arts, or manufac- 
tures. The social condition of ISTew Grenada must 
rapidly undergo a radical change ; for, except in a 
few of their principal towns, such as Bogota, Car- 
thawena and Panama, it is in a most degraded state, 
and it is not possible for any people to resist long 
the power of the simplest arts of civilized life, when 
they are cultivated under the life-giving influences 
of an active and remunerating trade. 

A country like this, with almost unbounded na- 
tural resources — known to possess great mineral 
wealth — with a soil so rich, and under a climate so 
fertilizing and genial, that the greatest possible va- 
riety of natural products are found upon its surface 
springing up without the planting or care of the 
husbandman — with but one season, and that season 
an almost unvarying and eternal summer — with all 
these advantages, I ask how is it possible that it can 
be travelled over bv from fifty to a hundred thou- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 107 

sand Americans every year, and not at once be 
seized upon and made the garden of the world ? 

One of the greatest results attending the intro- 
duction of steam communication between different 
countries, though a result not immediately contem- 
plated in their establishment, is that of breaking 
down the barriers which exist between different na- 
tions, familiarizing them with each other's habits 
and customs, and diffusing intelligence and a know- 
ledge of the mechanical and agricultural arts and 
sciences. Within a few years the world has under- 
gone a very great change in this respect, and in the 
future we may justly anticipate the time — that good 
time— when the different nations of the earth shall 
have become so intermingled with each other that 
we shall know no people as foreigners — no national 
habits and customs that are strictly peculiar — and 
religious intolerance and superstition shall no longer 
rear their barriers to true progress, and the great 
element of religious truth shall be planted every- 
where ; and thus he who establishes a line of 
steamships between two distant countries, will be 
found practically the most successful missionary. 



CHAPTEE XIV. 

Proposed Route for a Ship Canal — Isthmus of Tehuantepec — Nicara- 
gua — Panama — Relative advantages of Nicaragua and Panama — 
Navigation of the River Chagres and River San Juan — Opinions 
of Travellers — Reason why they are often so diverse — Advantages 
of the Harbor of Navy Bay. 

Theee routes, within the boundaries of the great 
Isthmus, have each had their advocates, claiming 
superior advantages over the other two — the Isth- 
mus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, Nicaragua, and 
Panama — but I believe the last has invariably re- 
ceived the preference from disinterested parties who 
have correctly informed themselves of all the facts 
in relation to the three. 

The Spaniards explored the Isthmus more tho" 
roughly, without doubt, than it has ever been done 
since, and they made this part the thoroughfare to- 
their Pacific possessions, and it has remained' the 
principal crossing to the present time. Garella, 
who surveyed the country by the appointment of 
the government of France, chose the Isthmus of 
Panama as the most feasible route for a ship canal 
or Railroad, and Col. Lloyd, who acted for the Eng- 
lish government, arrived at the same conclusion. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 109 

The most advantageous course for great public 
thoroughfares is usually pointed out by the unerring 
hand of Nature ; the Indian first adopts it, and af- 
terward it becomes a mule path, and with the pro- 
gress of civilization a carriage road is opened, and 
then a railroad or canal, and perhaps both. Such 
has been the history of almost every great highway 
in the American States, and such is most truly the 
case across the Isthmus of Panama. There is a 
necessary order to be observed in the accomplish- 
ment of all great measures for public improvement, 
and the steps of progress must be regulated by the 
necessities of the people, and an intermediate meas- 
ure which may be deemed absolutely essential to 
the favorable accomplishment of the great work of 
constructing a ship canal across the Isthmus, is that 
of a railroad, leaving the still more formidable un- 
dertaking for future consideration. 

Hitherto all measures for the purpose of connect- 
ing the two oceans have been deterred, from appre- 
hension of difficulties, both of a moral and political 
character ; but since the treaty has been established 
between the United States and the government of 
England,, pledging the neutrality of the Isthmus, 
and a better understanding of the climate and its 
effects on health, these may be considered in a 
great measure removed, while the physical ob- 
stacles stand alone with their bold fronts to be con- 
tended with. In this respect it is not probable that 
the stupendous character of the enterprise has ever 
been overrated, w T hile by many it has without doubt 
been estimated too low. 



110 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

The distance across the Isthmus of Panama, ac- 
cording to the report of Mr. Garella, is only about 
forty miles, in the course surveyed for a ship canal 
commencing at the head of JSTavy Bay, and the 
highest summit necessary to attain is four hundred 
and fifty-nine feet ; and since the explorations were 
commenced to ascertain the most feasible route for 
a railroad, under the direction of the Panama Rail- 
road Company, I have been informed that Mr. 
Baldwin demonstrated a still more advantageous 
course, with an elevation of but two hundred and 
seventy-five feet. The great difficulty to be over- 
come is that of supplying a sufficient quantity of 
w T ater to feed the canal on the summit level, and 
this is undoubtedly a most serious one. 

When the railroad shall have been completed, 
and the Isthmus in some measure populated, with 
its agricultural resources developed, so that not only 
laborers, but their supplies may be furnished there, 
then will be the time to not only talk, but to act, in 
this important matter. Then let every nation of 
the earth that is so disposed, contribute its propor- 
tion, not for the prospect of a direct revenue, but 
for the purpose of improving commerce, and who 
can say but that we shall have, not only a ship ca- 
nal, but an uninterrupted water level communica- 
tion from ocean to ocean. Such an undertaking I 
am not aware of having ever as yet been anticipa- 
ted, but to decide that it is impracticable, is to deny 
the possibility of new inventions for the purpose of 
removing and excavating earth and rock. Such a 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. Ill 

canal, and such only, I apprehend, will be found 
suited for its purpose, and repay the governments 
that shall construct it. 

The route across, or rather through Nicaragua and 
its lakes, has received considerable attention and 
been reported upon favorably for the construction of 
a ship canal. 

The whole length of this route, as stated by Mr. 
Bail j, who surveyed it some years since for the Go- 
vernment of Central America, is two hundred and 
sixty-four miles ; ninety of which are on the river San 
Juan, ninety on Lake Nicaragua, twelve on *the 
River Tipitapa, between Lake Nicaragua and Me- 
nagua, or Lake Leon, which last is thirty-five miles 
more, and the remaining twenty-nine miles to be a 
land-cut between Menagua and the port of Pealejo. 

Mr. Baily calculates Lake Nicaragua to be one 
hundred and twenty-eight feet above low water on 
the Pacific Ocean, and Lake Menagua twenty-nine 
feet higher than Lake Nicaragua, and above this an 
elevation must be attained of fifty-five feet, between 
Lake Menagua and Realejo, making a summit level 
of two hundred and twelve feet above the Pacific 
Ocean at low water. 

"What the advantages of this route are, I have never 
yet been able to ascertain. The distance to Califor- 
nia would be shortened, but it is doubtful whether 
anything would be saved in time, over that by the 
wa} r of the Isthmus of Panama, in consequence of the 
greater length of the canal, while it would be in- 
creased to the still more important countries in the 



112 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

South Pacific Ocean, and yet not avoid that greatest 
of all difficulties, the want of an adequate supply of 
water to feed the canal at the summit. But the 
greatest objection of all is the distance. We are 
every day being taught, practically, that the shortest 
routes are in thelong run the cheapest, although at 
first more expensive in their execution, even on rail- 
roads where the speed is so great as to lessen the 
reality of distance ; yet how much greater still will 
be the loss in a ship canal, where the progress of 
ships through must necessarily be very slow. 

•The task of lifting a steamship or merchantman 
over this country, at an elevation of two hundred and 
twelve feet, and a distance through, of two hundred 
and sixty-four miles, would be found a very for- 
midable one, at least; but I have no doubt all 
these considerations were fully appreciated by Mr. 
Baily. 

Another route, or rather a deviation from this, is 
receiving some attention at the present time. It 
takes in its course the River San Juan to Lake ZTSTi- 
caragua, and from thence across to its south-west 
coast, a distance of sixty miles, and then over the 
high ridge to the port of San Juan del Sur, on the 
Pacific Ocean, a distance of seventeen miles, making 
in all one hundred and sixty-seven miles. The highest 
elevation to be attained between Lake Nicaragua 
and San Juan del Sur, according to Mr. Baily, is five 
hundred and eight feet, and consequently the diffi- 
culty of obtaining water to feed a canal is greater 
than that of the other. Another author, Galisteo, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 113 

who surveyed this route in 1781, makes the summit 
level but one hundred and fifty-five feet above Lake 
Nicaragua ; but I am not aware that his report has 
ever been confirmed. 

The advocates of both these routes base their esti- 
mates in a great measure upon the feasibility of con- 
verting the San Juan river into a ship canal. By 
some the practicability of this does not seem to be 
doubted, but the trial will prove, if nothing else will, 
that this is a very formidable stream to contend with. 
"We have no rivers in the United States that com- 
pare with those of Central America in their devia- 
tions from a given level, either in extent or rapidity 
of their variations. It is no uncommon thing for a 
stream of from two to three hundred yards in width, 
to rise a foot an hour, for twelve or fifteen hours in 
succession, and then decline as rapidly ; and during 
the flood they bear down their swift currents im- 
mense quantities of flood-wood, and sometimes the 
largest trees of the forest. 

After the completion of the canal between Car- 
thagena and the Magdalena river, in New Grenada, 
the first flood swept away its lock, and yet this is an 
ordinary canal, and merely communicates with the 
river at its extremity. So confident were the state- 
ments of those who might be presumed to know, of 
the navigability of the River Chagres, that the Pan- 
ama Railroad Company first intended to commence 
the construction of that work between Gorgona and 
Panama ; but they soon found it almost impossible 
to reach Gorgona with their suoplies. It is very 
6* 



114 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

true, that small steamers, of light draught, go up as 
far as Gorgona, but it is only for a part of the sea- 
sou, and they can never be relied upon ; and the 
same obstacles are to be contended with on the River 
San Juan. 

The last route described above is now being im- 
proved for the transit of passengers to and from Cal- 
ifornia, with a line of steamships upon the Atlantic 
and Pacific, connecting with it. Mr. Yanderbilt is 
the pioneer in this work, "and I have seen it stated 
that a large sum has already been invested in steam- 
boats for the San Juan river and Lake Nicaragua, 
and other means necessary to facilitate the transit of 
passengers ; but of the success of the enterprise we 
have yet to learn. The public has already been en- 
tertained by numerous and diverse statements con- 
cerning the character of this route, comparing it 
with that across the Isthmus of Panama. Some 
have described it as much the best, while the ac- 
counts of others preclude the possibility of anything 
like comfort, representing the whole journey as a 
series of miseries. The most glowing fancy has been 
indulged in describing the "magnificent" scenery of 
the river, lake, and mountain pass. 

A recent author of a newspaper article has even 
stated that he thinks this route would be prefer- 
able, were the Panama railroad completed ; but it 
may reasonably be supposed, that such writers have 
never had their enthusiasm dampened by exposure 
to the rainy season, and that they have not fully 
considered that on the very ground from which 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 115 

they viewed the magnificent scenes, they might 
soon after sink to their middle in mud ; nor, that 
the u gently-flowing river" would, perhaps, within 
twelve hours, become a powerful current, bearing- 
huge trees swiftly down upon its surface, against 
which it would be almost impossible to make any 
progress. 

It is very easy to reconcile these conflicting state- 
ments with an- honest purpose, by supposing the 
parties to have traveled over the line either during 
a rainy or a dry season, and to have ascended or 
descended the river, according to the nature of their 
account. To descend the San Juan during the dry 
season, or ascend its current when swollen, and while 
the rains are still falling, is to experience two condi- 
tions as widely different as are the various news- 
paper accounts by travellers. 

A very serious objection to this route is that of 
its harbors. That of San Juan del Sur, on the Pa- 
cific, is objectionable in almost every respect, while 
those of the Panama route are remarkably good. 
!Navy Bay is four and a half .miles deep, and the 
island of Manzanilla is situated directly at its mouth, 
and upon its east side, affording shelter to shipping, 
and room, with sufficient depth of water, for the 
largest class steamships to lie directly alongside its 
piers. As a commercial port for the lading of ships, 
and discharging cargoes and passengers, it is, un- 
doubtedly, the best on the coast of Central America ; 
and these are considerations of the greatest import- 
ance in connection with a railroad or ship canal. 



CHAPTER XV. 

Former Views concerning a Railroad across the Isthmus — Reasons for 
a change of Opinion — Organization of the Panama Railroad Com- 
pany — First Steps taken for the Prosecution of the Work — Its 
Magnitude — Manzanilla Island — The. Harbor — Prospective Town 
— Prospects of Business — Changes already Effected — 'The Future 
— Sketches of the Isthmus. 

It has formerly been contended that a railroad 
would never answer the necessities of commerce, 
but merely contribute to the more ready and com- 
fortable transit of passengers. While the last con- 
sideration may be deemed of sufficient importance 
to warrant the undertaking, we regard it as of by 
far the least consequence of the two. 

Within three years, a very remarkable change 
has taken place, having a direct bearing upon this 
question. The Pacific, which hitherto had seldom 
been traversed, except by an occasional whale-ship, 
or merchantman, has now become the great high- 
way for numerous steamships, while the number of 
sailing vessels have accumulated more rapidly than 
was ever known before in any part of the world, and, 
therefore, it becomes a question whether or not the 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 117 

more rapid transit by railroad, over that of a ship 
canal, will not repay the cost of discharging and re- 
lading cargoes, inasmuch as the means are already 
on the Pacific for re-shipment to any destined port. 
With this view of the subject, the Panama railroad 
was undertaken, and having been frequently alluded 
to in these pages, it becomes necessary, in order to 
embrace all points of interest to the public, to speak 
more definitely of it. 

The Company was organized on the second day 
of July, 1849, by the election of a board of directors, 
and is represented by John L. Stephens, William 
H. Aspinwall, and Henry Chauncey. John L. Ste- 
phens was elected president of the board, and Francis 
Spies was appointed secretary. Mr. Stephens has 
been, emphatically, the pioneer in this enterprise, 
and the duties of his office could not have been 
placed in better hands, not only from his thorough 
knowledge of the country, and the habits of the peo- 
ple he had to deal with officially, as the representa- 
tive of the Company, in obtaining a grant for the 
road ; but for his accurate judgment, liberal policy, 
and untiring devotion to the interests of the work. 

The company thus formed proceeded at once to 
direct full and careful explorations and surveys of 
the country, in order to decide upon the best route 
for the construction of the road. About one year 
and a half was consumed in these investigations, 
which finally resulted in the selection of the route 
from Manzanilla Island in Navy Bay to Panama on 
the Pacific, as laid down on the map accompanying 



118 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

this volume. Since then the work has been going 
on under the immediate charge of George M. Totten, 
Esq., as chief engineer, and with an energy of pur- 
pose which characterizes the operations of business 
men, who know what they are doing, and are confi- 
dent in the result. 

To convey a general idea of the magnitude and 
character of this enterprise, it is but necessary to 
state that, up to the present time, (Dec. 1st., 1851,) 
the Company has sent out fifty-eight vessels freighted 
with stores, materials, &c, exclusive of those engaged 
to take the iron from England direct, and that 2019 
men have been employed on the work, under en- 
gagements varying from three to twelve months 
each, besides about 1000 natives, mostly from Car- 
thagena and its vicinity.* 

The first thing to be done was to clear a por- 
tion of the island of its encumbered vegetation, 
and erect dwellings for the officers and men. It was 
here that the first blow was struck in the commence- 
ment of this great work, and from this spot the 
sound of the axe went forth in the forests to tell the 
natives that Los Americanos had come to hew out a 
path for the iron horse, that they might reach with 
greater speed their possessions still farther distant 
on the Pacific; fecilitate their commercial inter- 
course with the inhabitants of the celestial empire ; 
and bring the far-off colonies of Australia nearer to 
their father-land. 

* For further details of the road, and of its progress from time to 
time, see appendix. 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 119 

The island of Manzanilla is about one and a half 
miles in length, and a mile in width. The channel 
upon the east side, between the island and the main 
land, is narrow, but of sufficient depth for navigation, 
and is a perfectly safe harbor for shipping. The 
main entrance to the bay, upon the west side of the 
island, is about two and a half miles in width ; and 
it may be entered at any time by vessels of the 
largest class, and without even a pilot. 

The prospective town, although it is already laid 
out, as yet has received no distinctive appellation ; 
but, we trust, it will receive one that shall perpetuate 
the name of some member of the Company that was 
first in breaking ground in this great work, among 
whom there is none more prominent than that of 
Aspinwall. 

Navy Bay extends up about four and a half miles, 
and affords secure anchorage in every part of it, and 
many coves where vessels can ride in perfect safety, 
under cover of points, protected from winds or sea. 
A deep cove in the island, immediately on entering 
the bay, affords abundant space for a large number 
of the largest class vessels, with sufficient depth of 
water behind and alongside the pier. Upon the 
other side of this harbor, the railroad track is laid 
on piles driven along the water's edge, by the side 
of which piers are extended for the discharge and 
shipment of cargoes. 

The island was originally entirely a coral forma- 
tion, but the soil which has been superadded by the 
process of vegetation and decay, is now of sufficient 



120 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

depth to sustain the heaviest growth of forest trees, 
which were thickly scattered over it, but have been 
cleared away for some distance back, the largest of 
which is the t£&£zanilla tree, from which the island 
received its nam*©: 

The coast of the main land opposite the island, in 
every direction, is generally high and abrupt, yet 
clothed w T ith the most luxuriant vegetation to the 
water's edge, and every where the cocoanut palm 
is seen conspicuous, which supplies an abundance 
of that delicious fruit. 

In the selection of Navy Bay as the northern ter- 
minus of the railroad, there can no longer be any 
doubt but that the best point is obtained. The har- 
bor has less objections than almost any other ; it is 
at all times accessible, without sand-bar or other ob- 
struction. The tide rises and falls, usually, about 24 
inches, and the convenience to the travelling public 
of being able to land directly from a vessel upon a 
pier, will be appreciated by those who have hereto- 
fore crossed the Isthmus, and been obliged to pay 
two dollars each, for being carried to and from a 
vessel at Chagres. 

Considering the natural advantages of this point, 
and the large amount of business that must necessa- 
rily be transacted here, the conclusion is unavoidable, 
that it must rapidly become an important commer- 
cial town, where enterprise will as surely be rewarded, 
as any event under human control can be predicted 
and made certain. 

Such have been the changes effected in this place, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 121 

which, but a short time since, was the haunt of wild 
beasts and reptiles, which were seldom ever start- 
led from their hiding-places by the approach of man ; 
and the future traveller who vL Isthmus, has 

yet to mark far greater and more perfect improve- 
ments, than any we have here depicted. 

Already the long piers and shipping in the har- 
bor, the warehouses and dwellings, with the puffing 
locomotives arriving and departing with passengers 
and merchandise, presents an animated and business- 
like aspect. 

In order to embrace many details of matters and 
things on the Isthmus and other places, which will 
be found of more or less interest, especially to those 
who visit this country, the following chapters will 
be devoted to a series of communications which 
were addressed to my friend, D. D. "Wait, Esq., of 
Batavia, Genesee County, ISTew York, and originally 
published by him. In perusing them, I beg the 
reader will remember that they were impressions of 
the time, often hastily conceived, and sketched under 
circumstances unfavorable to great exactness, or ele- 
gance of diction. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Leaving New York — Arrival at Havana — Appearance of the Har- 
bor — The City — The Moro Castle — Passports — A night in the 
Harbor — Architecture of the City — -Volantes — The Bishop's Gar- 



On the 26th of April, 1851, I shook hands with my 
friends and went on board the Steam Ship Ohio, 
Lieut. J. Finley Schenck, Commander, about cast- 
ing off from her moorings and bound for Havana, 
en route for the Isthmus of Panama. As we drop- 
ped down the bay, I looked back upon the Babylon 
of modern times and thought of the many thousands 
who crowded its thoroughfares, and felt that I was 
but a drop in the bucket just gathered up from the 
great sea of life. 

On looking round upon my " companions de 
voyage," every one seemed intently occupied with 
the thoughts which usually crowd upon the mind on 
such occasions. Many of them were evidently bound 
for the auriferous regions in the far off Pacific, and 
in many an eye, which had no doubt brightened 
with the prospect of gathering up the glittering 
dust, there glittered now a tear, and I thought it 



THE ISTHMUS OF PAX AM A. 123 

time for thein to begin to note down the sad items 
which were to make np the price of Gold. 

On the morning of the sixth day, after a delight- 
ful voyage, we made the highlands of Cuba, and in 
a few hours afterwards, we turned in beneath the 
towering Moro and anchored in the harbor of Ha- 
vana. The arrival in port is always a source of 
great delight, especially to those not accustomed to 
the sea, and it is usually improved in replenishing 
the stomach of its lost contents ; but Havana pre- 
sents too many objects of interest to be neglected, 
and particularly so to those who have never visited a 
Spanish Town. The city, with its quaint edifices, is 
situated on low ground, at the right hand as the har- 
bor is entered, and on the left are the high walls of 
the Moro Castle, extending back a great distance, 
and so elevated that the sentinels, as they pace to 
and fro on its ramparts, look like pigmies. The 
American who is accustomed to make the most of 
everything, looks with astonishment at the unim- 
proved borders of this beautiful harbor, which em- 
brace more than half of its circumference, and imme- 
diately begins to calculate the various purposes for 
which they could be occupied. 

There beiugno appropriate piers or docks, steam- 
ships, consequently, lie out in the bay, and passen- 
gers pass to and from the ship in little boats, many 
of which are rigged with sails and an awning over 
the after-part, to keep off the rays of the sun, which 
are intensely hot here. 

We had scarcely come to anchor, when a Span- 



124 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

ish official appeared, and with a decidedly military 
air, took his place in the captain's room, from which 
it was announced, that " all those passengers who 
wish to go ashore, must first walk up to the office 
and procure their passports." The price was one 
dollar, in Spanish silver, and although we did not 
deem it by any means a hospitable invitation to view 
the city or patronize its hotels and shops, yet we 
concluded to avail ourselves of the distinguished 
privilege, and after having read the fearful account 
of what would be done with those who should be 
found on her majesty's dominions without this pro- 
tection, we put the document aside, to learn after- 
wards that it was seldom ever called for from or- 
derly people, who confine themselves to their own 
affairs . 

Before we could effect a transit to the steamship 
Falcon, on which we were to proceed on our way to 
Chagres, the afternoon had merged into the twilight 
of evening, and as we sat out upon the open deck 
that night, with pleasant companions, many tales 
of other days, and wild adventures on distant lands 
and seas, were recounted, so that it was not until the 
flickering lights of the city began to disappear, and 
the watchword from the ramparts of the Moro, 
warned us of the night far spent, that we could be 
induced to leave the delightful starlight scene, and 
the balmy air that fanned us so gently, for our close 
quarters below. 

At an early hour on the following morning, our 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 125 

party started out for an outside view of Havana and 
its environs. 

It may be doubtful whether there are any who 
have not heard enough of Havana ; of its gaily-co- 
lored and splendid palaces, of its public and pri- 
vate gardens, and the many beautiful drives or jpasios, 
and other peculiarities of this oldest of the Columbian 
cities. 

Havana and its suburbs contains, at the present 
time, about 180,000 inhabitants. It is built princi- 
pally of brick, in the most substantial manner, the 
walls being very thick, and heavily stuccoed, and, 
lastly, colored in the most fanciful manner, usually 
either red, blue, or yellow, and sometimes the va- 
rious colors combined, although the whitewash is 
the most common, many buildings being simply 
trimmed with colors. I can conceive of no language, 
other than the vernacular, capable of conveying 
any just idea of the style of architecture. The 
principal hotels and private residences are en- 
tered by apasio, or court pass, which leads to a cen- 
tre court ; the lower story is occupied for carriage- 
room, stable, and servants' apartments ; and from 
this centre court, or from the pasio, a broad night 
of steps leads to the apartments above, or rather to 
a broad paved walk, open one side, looking into the 
court, and from this, through wide doorways, into 
the various rooms of the household, varying, of 
course, with the different uses and extent of the 
edifice. 

The shops usually have one broad entrance, with 



126 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

doors that fold upon themselves, and no windows. 
They are small, and so arranged that the stock can 
mostly be seen, at a glance, through the doorway in 
passing. When windows do occur in the first story 
of shops, or in public or private buildings, they are 
often left without glazing, but strongly barred with 
iron, and close with shutters inside. In the second 
story, or dwelling part of the building, the windows 
are barred with wood, and secured at night and from 
storms by close shutters only. This description ap- 
plies more particularly to the older class of buildings, 
although many very elegant private residences, es- 
pecially in the suburbs, were in the same style, al- 
though comparatively of modern appearance ; the 
windows would be secured by a richly ornamented 
iron grating, and protected from the sun by broad 
curtains, suspended from the top, so as not to ob- 
struct the full ingress or egress of a current of air. 

The style of buildings is exceedingly well adapted 
to the climate ; with their high walls, open courts 
and balconies, and free ventilation, they are calcu- 
lated to promote, in the highest degree, the comfort 
of the inhabitants, but, of course unsuited to any 
climate than that of constant summer. 

The streets are mostly very narrow, with walks 
not more than sufficiently wide for two to walk 
abreast, and often not sufficient for that. Shops are 
scattered in every part of the town, without much 
distinction ; a block, for instance, bearing the same 
general appearance, will be occupied by parties en- 
gaged in the most diversified pursuits, and thus it is 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 127 

that a great similarity exists in the different parts of 
the town, although some districts are far more ele- 
gant than others. 

The great repugnance of the Havanoes to the 
adoption of the customs and improvements of other 
nations, is exhibited in their adherence to the rude 
style of their vehicles. The most peculiar of all is 
the volante, which is, no doubt, the exact contrivance, 
without improvement or modification, that a mule 
was first attached to, but with us has been short- 
ened, and reduced to the modern gig. The appear- 
ance of this vehicle is very ludicrous, with its large 
wheels and long shafts, which hang suspended by 
the side straps of a saddle upon one of the small 
native horses, and mounted by the driver, while the 
" top," or covered seat, is placed at a considerable 
distance forward of the wheels, and thus the poor 
animal is compelled to the double task of hauling as 
well as bearing his burden. Not liking to exhibit a 
preference for the natives' taste and notions of ele- 
gance in this particular, we stepped into a New 
York made omnibus, drawn by a pair of horses, evi- 
dently not of the islands' growth, and rode out three 
miles through the suburbs of the city, to near the 
bishop's palace and garden. 

This garden contains about 60 acres, and it is 
hardly possible to conceive of a greater variety, or 
more luxuriant vegetation, than is here presented to 
the eye at every step for miles in the course of its 
many varying walks and drives. The royal palm 
is the principal and most beautiful of the many 



128 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

shade trees that line its walks. The trunk, which is 
somewhat pear-shaped near the ground, runs up 
sometimes 125 feet perfectly straight, with a gradual 
taper before reaching the root of the leaf, which 
encircles the trunk for four or six feet further, and 
is of a bright green, and then spreads off with great 
regularity, giving the peculiar umbrella like appear- 
ance to the top of the tree. The fruit of this palm 
is of no account, but adds much to the appearance 
of the tree, as it hangs in large clusters like grapes, 
at the root of the leaf, and from four to six feet be- 
low the point where it spreads from the trunk. 
Nothing can exceed the beauty of this tree, with its 
smooth, straight trunk to the cluster of fruit which 
encircles it like a collar, and above it of a bright 
green for a few more feet, and then the spreading 
top of beautiful symmetry, which crowns the whole. 
Of the great variety of trees in this garden, I 
had not time to examine many, nor should 1 have 
known what they were, in some instances. I could 
only designate the orange, lemon, date, mango, 
lime, and a few others. The caoutchouc I also dis- 
covered, from the gum which I found issuing from a 
fracture. Streams of water cross the garden in many 
directions, through artificial channels, feeding small 
ponds, which in some places were covered with beau- 
tiful lilies, and pools which were covered with iron- 
grated buildings for aquatic animals, although but 
one was inhabited, and that by a lonesome-looking 
alligator. In appropriate enclosures I observed a 
panther, two leopards, a wolf and the American 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 129 

Eagle, which seemed confined to rather narrow lim- 
its, and altogether away from home. Many ancient 
looking pieces of statuary were situated along the 
walks, and some of very perfect execution. 

For hours we walked through the shady avenues 
of this beautiful place, and although far exceeding 
anything I had ever before seen, yet there were on 
every hand evidences that it is now much short of 
its former perfection and grandeur. In many places 
the ruins of old buildings, the use of which I could 
not divine, and fountains which had become simply 
frog pools, told plainly of neglect, and that nothing 
save the fertility of the soil and favorable climate 
preserved it from going to waste. The present 
Bishop takes little or no interest in it, although it is 
nominally under his charge. 

Of the Cathedral supposed to contain the re- 
mains of the discoverer of the New World — the Ta- 
con Theatre, and other notable places, the public are 
already familiar. The Pasio de Tacon is the favor- 
ite resort of the citizens, and I am informed that 
another public garden, far superior to the one I have 
described, is situated but a short distance from the 
city. 



CHAPTER XVH. 

An unpleasant Dilemma, for which there is no remedy — The highlands 
of the Isthmus — Chagres — Fort San Lorenzo — Disembarkation — 
The Boatmen — Pitiable plight of the Ladies— Going up the River — 
Going to Navy Bay — First Morning on the Island — The Coral In- 
sect — Crabs — Temperature of the Climate. 

On returning to the ship at night, with the ex- 
pectation of leaving early the next morning, I found 
myself and room-mate in one of those unpleasant 
dilemmas which sometimes occur, and for which 
there is no remedy, simply because the other party 
is — " a lady." 

In our absence, two women had come aboard, 
and demanded a room ; the clerk, on looking over 
his list, found every one already occupied ; but being 
a gallant man could not tell them so, inasmuch as 
their passage had been paid from New York through, 
and consequently took them into the cabin and told 
them to take their choice, which unluckily fell upon 
the one we had pre-occupied. Finding no one to re- 
monstrate, they expressed their satisfaction with it on 
condition that the trunks should be removed ; which 
was readily assented to, and in this state we found 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 131 

onr anticipated pleasant accommodations for the re- 
mainder of the voyage. 

On applying to the clerk, he gave us a discourse 
upon the difficulties in supplying a greater number 
of passengers with rooms , than there were berths in 
the ship. To have insisted on the ladies being eject- 
ed, notwithstanding we had the prior claim, would 
have been incompatible with our ideas of civil- 
ity, and to sleep without a berth, would certainly be 
very uncomfortable, and therefore, in this state of 
things, we were glad to accept a lease on a room, for 
one night only, the claimants being ashore ; and as 
we " turned in," I confess to the apprehension of 
being soon " turned out ;" but thanks to the baccha- 
nalian propensities of its subsequent occupants, they 
did not appear until the following morning. 

Early the next day we got to sea, and as I 
moved about from place to place on the ship, I felt 
truly like one houseless and homeless ; but towards 
night I was finally shown a berth, the lower one of 
three, in a room of the least possible dimensions, 
where I was permitted to crawl in, and then in 
straightening out, shove my head behind two trunks 
and sleep if I could. The door opened upon the 
gangway, and was of necessity left open during the 
night to give us air to breathe, and as occasionally 
spray came in with it, I felt truly that my lot was a 
hard one, but it was only to be borne. During the 
whole passage, I earnestly hoped for some sign or 
word in acknowledgment of my courtesy, from the la- 
dies, to mitigate my sufferings ; bat not one word did 



132 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

I hear, and as I frequently observed their sharp set 
features, I own to have formed a very unfavorable 
opinion of them. 

On the morning of the fifth day, we made the 
high mountains of the Isthmus near Porto Bello, and 
in approaching the coast, Navy Bay next appeared, 
and soon after we were at anchor off Chagres, with 
the moss-covered and time-blackened walls of the 
old Fort San Lorenzo directly before us. 

To disembark was now the immediate business, 
in which every one was striving to be first ; and at 
Chagres it is a performance far mor.e interesting to 
witness than experience. Imagine four or five hun- 
dred passengers, each with carpet-bag and portman- 
teau in hand, hurrying down the narrow steps by 
the side of the ship, among a fleet of small boats, the 
noisy owners of which, some black, some red, and 
others white, are alike expert in the use of invec- 
tievs, which they shower unsparingly on every one, 
and to such a degree, that if the least of their impre- 
cations were answered, the ship and all its contents 
would immediately sink, and the reader will have 
some slight idea of the scene. 

The cloud belt which hangs over this country 
about half of the year, had already formed, and the 
rain was failing plentifully as I silently looked on, 
and with a degree of indifference, until the ladies, 
of whom there was a goodly number on board be- 
sides those already alluded to, came to depart, 
when I could not refrain from a feeling of sorrow at 
the pitiable plight they exhibited. There was one 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 133 

who, innocently enough, had been somewhat free in 
her remarks about " the vulgar men on board," and 
who evidently had no better idea of crossing the 
Isthmus than that a trip up the river Chagres would 
be a merry excursion, and that riding a mule would 
be romantic. On the following morning, when I saw 
her packed into a small open boat, with some of the 
" vulgar men," with the rain falling most unmerci- 
fully, she looked crest-fallen, and if it would have 
done any good, I most certainly should have pitied 
her. 

It was not until the next day that we left the 
ship for K~avy Bay. Our party consisted of twelve 
or fourteen, and we were obliged first to disembark 
in a yawl and row out to the Railroad Company's 
steamer, that was waiting to receive us. Scarcely 
had we shoved off from the ship, when rain com- 
menced falling, which, with the heavy sea, rendered 
our condition anything but agreeable. As we neared 
th e little steamer, we were alternately above and be- 
low its deck, pitching up and down to such a degree 
that it required a very accurate calculation of the 
exact time to leap anywhere but into the sea. One 
by one, however, we all succeeded, and at dark were 
landed on the pier at Manzanilla Island. 

The sun had scarcely begun to shed its golden rays 
upon the eastern sky, ere I was up on the following 
morning, and, having taken a cup of coffee, started 
out to view the island. 

That an insect, too minute to be seen without a 
microscope, should have been employed to build up, 



134: THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

from the bottom of the sea, a foundation upon which 
man was ultimately to erect his habitation, is a fact 
here fully demonstrated, and one that impresses the 
mind with a deep sense of the inscrutable operations 
of Infinite Wisdom. When this stupendous work was 
commenced or finished, if it is yet complete, by this 
great family of mites, we, of course, have no means 
of knowing ; but the large growth of trees upon its 
surface, and the broad levee or embankment thrown 
up, of broken coral, upon the north shore, indicates 
great age ; and the occasional discovery of a can- 
non ball would seem to suggest that active operations 
had at some day been carried on here ; but no fur- 
ther traces are to be discovered, although it is known 
to have been the favorite rendezvous of the bucca- 
neers, about two hundred years ago. 

With everything so strangely new about me, the 
sun appearing so out of place, and vegetable life pre- 
senting such unusual forms, while the very air I 
breathed seemed unlike any I had ever before in- 
haled, with the strange consciousness that the surface 
on which I stood could not have been a part of the 
original formation of the earth, I should have been 
half inclined to consider whether, in reality, I had 
not landed upon the shores of another existence, 
were it not that the unmistakable evidences of mor- 
tality were about me. 

The morning was most truly delightful, and, as 
I walked along the beach, the gently stirring air was 
fresh and pleasant, while the sea had scarcely a ripple 
upon its surface ; the sky was clear, and the birds 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 135 

sang sweetly. Great numbers of land-crabs started 
for their hiding-places as I approached, and it was 
curious to see with what facility they would scramble 
along, one way as well as another, enjoying the 
happy faculty of getting through the world without 
being obliged to turn around. They excavate deep 
holes in the ground, or seek out crevices in the coral 
rocks,- where they usually remain during the day. 

The temperature of this climate is remarkable 
for its regularity, seldom varying over fifteen de- 
grees from one year to another, and 89 has been the 
highest degree indicated on the meteorological tables 
kept by Dr. J. A. Totten, surgeon of the station at 
Navy Bay, during the year 1851. 



CHAPTER XYIIL 

Leaving JSTavy Bay, Chagres, Fort San Lorenzo — Arrival at Gatuu 
Station — Resume our Journey in a Small Boat — A Night at Dos 
Herm'mos — An Early Start — The River by Moonlight — Appear- 
ance of Morning — Breakfasting at Ahorca Lagata — The River 
Scenery — Arrival at Bujio Saidado. 

After a few days spent on the Island of Manzan- 
ilia, the head quarters of the Panama Railroad 
Company in Navy Bay, I left for the station as- 
signed me at Bujio Saidado, up the Chagres River, 
a distance of thirty miles. I had already become 
impatient to see the interior of the country, and it 
was with no small gratification that I went on board 
the little iron steamer Gorgona, which was to take 
us around the point, a distance of ten miles, to Cha- 
gres, and from thence up the river to Gatun, a dis- 
tance of nine more. Stopping an hour or two at 
Chagres, I took a stroll along this smallest, and al- 
together most miserable place in the world, that is 
made the regular port of so many lines of steam- 
ships. Notwithstanding the deplorable aspect of 
everything about Chagres, and the fact that gam- 
bling and rum-selling are two conspicuous and often 
outside occupations, yet it is not by any means des- 
titute of respectable inhabitants. In the short time 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 137 

of my stay, I met with several New Yorkers — men 
who, though accustomed to the refinements of life, 
were here habited in coarse pants and red flannel 
shirts, with cowhide boots upon their feet, the legs of 
which were drawn over their pants — away from home, 
from friends, or luxury, or comforts, and, worse than 
all, too: often with the unmistakable marks of miasma 
and fever. The only thing of interest about Chagres 
is the old Spanish fortification. It is situated upon 
a high, rocky point, and upon the left hand as the 
mouth of the river is entered. Upon passing the 
fort, the native town of Chagres is situated close 
under its walls, and consists of nothing more than a 
collection of reed-huts thatched with palm leaves. 
For two dimes I was taken across the river to the 
native town, and passing through it commenced the 
assent of the hill by a paved road which leads to a 
level plat of ground in the rear of the fortification. 
This road must have been built at the time the fort 
was erected, yet it is in a good state of preservation, 
and makes a pleasant although steep and circuitous 
walk. Crossing the deep moat which separates the 
front from the rear fort, upon the remnant of an 
old draw-bridge, and then passing down a wide 
flight of steps, the main plaza is reached between 
the battlements which look off in three directions, 
and are at least one hundred and fifty feet high from 
the sea which breaks upon its foundations on the one 
side, and the river on the other. Some thirty or 
forty old Spanish guns are lying about, with their 
carriages crumbled to dust beneath them, some 
7* 



138 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

being brass pieces of great calibre and beautiful 
workmanship. The pavement of this plaza was laid 
with cement, and has the apparent durability of one 
immense solid stone, although it has faced the storms 
of over two hundred years. Cannon balls and shells 
lay scattered about, or piled up in pyramids, and the 
magazine contains boxes of powder so decomposed 
that it is no longer ignitable. 

From this part of the fort a subterranean passage, 
handsomely arched, and ten or twelve feet wide, 
leads to underground apartments, deep back in the 
hill ; but answers to inquiries concerning them were 
as unsatisfactory as the echoes which came back as 
distinctly as they were uttered. I went in as far as 
the light would reveal the way, against the advice 
of a resident, who told me that a fever would be the 
consequence of gratifying my curiosity ; but without 
even discovering a reptile, which are said to con- 
gregate in these places in great numbers. From 
one apartment, the roof of which had long since rot- 
ted away, a tree, eight or ten inches in diameter, 
was growing thriftily, with its green top reaching 
far above the walls. 

Notwithstanding the general impression that ma- 
sonry cannot be made enduring in this climate, the 
walls of this old work, to the cap stone and watch 
towers, are seemingly as perfect now, in the main, 
as they could have been a hundred and eighty-one 
years ago, when Morgan, at the head of the Bucca- 
neers, took it from the Spanish. 

The banks of the river, from Chagres to Gatun, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 139 

are, for the most part of the way, low ; and, as we 
moved slowly along between them on the steamer, 
the dark green foliage of the trees, and the many 
wild flowers and fruits every where appearing, pre- 
sented the vegetation of this land of unchanging ver- 
dure, in its most pleasing aspect. 

As we approached the railroad station at Gatun, 
with its storehouse, hospital, and habitations for two 
or three hundred men, the effect was strikingly sin- 
gular in this country of almost unbroken forests and 
sparcely scattered native huts. 

As the Gorgona w^as not going on further, a small 
boat was engaged, with two natives for oarsmen, and 
in company with the commissary and superintendent, 
we started out on our way. "We had made but eight 
miles ere the evening grew dark upon us, and we 
hauled up to the shore at Dos Herminos, where a 
rude sign, indicating entertainment for the traveller, 
hung suspended from a pole in the bank. The in- 
closure, which signifies a hotel here, was partly of 
rough boards, and partly of canvas, with a canvas 
covering, and in form an L. One extremity was 
fitted up for a sleeping apartment, with canvas 
stretched across rough poles, one above the other, 
three deep ; the other, the dining room, with a long 
table through the centre capable of seating a hundred 
persons, and short side-tables. At one of these we 
drank our tea and ate a biscuit with a good relish, 
notwithstanding the table reminded us of the scuttle- 
deck of a vessel, and our seat was a narrow strip of 
rough board, supported by stakes driven into the 



14:0 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

ground, which constituted the only floor of the whole 
concern. 

Discerning, at a little distance, a small habita- 
tion which offered, apparently, a better chance of 
comfort, I rapped at the door, and was bade come 
in by the owner of the establishment, who was re- 
clining on a bed of formidable dimensions, compared 
with those he supplied for the public. As might 
reasonably be expected, I found that he was sick, 
and that he had been so for some months. He 
cursed the country, yet clung to it for the sake of 
making money, and when told that a more liberal 
expenditure of his gains, which are large, for his 
private protection and comfort, as well as for the 
public, in the erection of suitable buildings to keep 
out the rains at least, would, no doubt, save him 
from sickness, he turned philosopher and answered 
that he deserved all that he suffered, and it was a 
consolation to him. Such was his apology for self- 
inflicted misery, and such examples are by no means 
uncommon in this country. A miserable economy 
is practiced in all that pertains to personal comfort, 
and for the protection of health, while, on the other 
hand, a most wasteful extravagance is often indulged 
in for the gratification of some idle whim, or to keep 
up a character of apparent liberality. 

For night quarters, we were permitted to make a 
choice of the standees ; but to find one the rain would 
not reach, in case of a shower, was somewhat diffi- 
cult. The ground was not only damp, but, in many 
parts of the inciosure, decidedly wet, and every 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 141 

thing was musty, and covered with mould. We had 
one hammock, which, from courtesy, was assigned 
to me, and wrapping my cloak about me I turned in 
and swung myself to sleep. 

At two o'clock in the morning the commissary, 
who claimed to always sleep with one eye open, dis- 
covered starlight through an opening in the roof, 
and calling our attention to it, proposed an early 
start, to which we most readily acceded, and, as I 
turned out, a chill ran through my frame, at which 
I was not surprised after such a night, nor could I 
wonder at the feverish habits of the people, who 
live in such habitations as this. 

To get our boatmen started was a work requiring 
some patience, but finally, through the perseverance 
of the commissary, it was effected, and we were 
once more under way. The night was beautiful, and 
every sound was hushed save the dipping of the 
oars, as we moved along on the bosom of the stream 
over which the trees and mountain-tops cast then- 
shadows by the light of the declining moon, now 
lost to view, and then again appearing as we follow- 
ed the ever varying course of the river, or passed 
from behind the summit of a hill. Each one seemed 
spell-bound, and scarce a word was uttered for hours 
to break the solitude, which, like a pall spread over 
the world, seemed to indicate that we were the only 
survivors of the long night of death. 

At last the grey light of the morning appeared 
in the eastern sky, and with it all nature became 
reanimated ; the forest songsters awoke and resumed 



142 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

their melodious strains ; the moon had gone down, 
the nickering stars had put out their lights, the 
mountain-tops lit up with the first rays of the sun, 
and the dark foliage of the forest appeared in its 
bright hue of green, for the glorious morning was 
fully broke upon us. 

At eight o'clock we arrived at Ahorca Lagata, a 
distance of eighteen miles from Gatun by the river, 
although but nine on the line of the Eailroad. This 
station was under the superintendence of Mr. Miller, 
with whom we breakfasted, and afterwards he took 
us out upon his work, to show what he had clone, 
and what he was going to do, all of which was very 
creditable to his perseverance and the industry of 
his men. 

We had a distance of eight miles yet to traverse 
on the river, and we hastened away, leaving our 
hospitable host looking after us from the beach where 
he had welcomed us so heartily but an hour before. 
The day continued pleasant, and the high banks of 
the river presented* an ever varying panorama of gor- 
geous vegetation, adorned with wild flowers of the 
richest hues, while here and there a large tree, rear- 
ing its head above all surrounding objects, would 
appear attired in the gay tints of the lilac. While 
in the full enjoyment of the scene so varying and 
beautiful, one of the boatmen cried out, u la Bujio" 
and sure enough the beautiful station of Eujio Sal- 
dado was in full view. 



CHAPTEE XIX. 

Bujio Saldado— The Station Buildings— The Ravine— A Torrent— 
A Professional Call— Sharp Practice among the Natives— An Al- 
calde's House and what it Contained— His Wife, and how she made 
Soup. 

Pujio, or Buyo Soldado, signifies in the vernacular, 
a soldier's cottage, and received this name, according 
to tradition, from the fact that a soldier had been se- 
creted and cared for here, by a native, in conse- 
quence of some service he had rendered one of their 
Padras or Priests, during the war of the buccaneers. 
Previous to passing into the hands of the Panama 
Eailroad Company, the place had been occupied by 
a few native huts, and as a rosa for corn, plantains, 
bananas, &c. I have spoken of it as the beautiful 
station, and as such, it will be considered by the 
future traveller, who views it under anything like 
favorable circumstances, although it is, no doubt, 
destined to undergo, hereafter, a very material 
change. 

The station buildings occupy a position on the 
bend of the river Chagres, commanding a view of 
about half a mile above and below, which is about 
as extensive a prospect as can any where be found 



144 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

on this exceedingly tortuous stream. The building 
erected for the officers of the Company, is on a level 
plat of ground, elevated about thirty feet from the 
low water-mark of the river, and looks directly down 
upon it from a neat veranda. . 

Near by, a deep rivine comes in, down which, dur- 
ing the rainy season, a mountain torrent rushes with 
great velocity. Many a time have I followed the 
almost dry bed of this rivulet far back into the 
mountains, the steep sides of w T hich it would be al- 
most impossible to climb, and afterwards, perhaps 
the next day, a stream, ten or twelve feet deep, 
would rush furiously down, gathering flood-wood 
from the fallen trees of the last dry season, building 
up obstructions, and then break away, undermining 
huge trees, and bearing them, root and branch, into 
the river below. At one time, after about three 
hour's hard rain, my attention was attracted by a 
sound as of a water-fall, and on looking out, I found 
this stream so swollen, and pouring down with such 
impetuosity, that its current extended directly across 
the Chagres, a distance of at least one hundred 
yards, and washed to a considerable extent into 
the opposite bank, notwithstanding the bed of the 
ravine was nearly level, for thirty or forty rods back 
towards the mountains. When the stream subsided, 
it was found that large trees which had fallen across, 
from bank to bank, had been swept away, although 
they were elevated ten feet from the usual water level. 
I am particular in relating this, as these torrents pre- 
sent a serious obstacle to contend with, in the prose- 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 145 

cution of public works in this country, and interfere 
so materially with the navigation of its streams. 

I had scarcely become settled in my new abode, 
when one day Gavino, our Spanish boy, whose duty it 
was to attend to the comforts of the officers, informed 
me that two hombras were waiting to see Sefior Me- 
dico. I directed him to invite them in, and learned 
that they wished me to go and prescribe for a sick 
man about five miles down the river, at the house of 
an alcalde named San Antonio. At first I declined 
their invitation altogether, but as they still persisted, 
I finally told them that I should charge ten dollars, 
with the view of putting a stop to their importunities ; 
but, to my surprise, they readily assented, saying 
that I should be promptly paid if I would go. After 
this almost unparalleled exhibition of confidence in 
my skill, I believe I should have been inclined to go 
without any other terms whatever. The messengers 
soon started homeward to announce my expected 
arrival, while I ordered two oarsmen, and with a 
companion, proceeded down the river. Landing 
about a mile above the ranch, we walked that dis- 
tance along a level and hard-beaten path, through a 
grove of palmetto palms. On arriving at San An- 
tonio's, his wife, a fine looking woman, with black 
eyes, erect figure, and more than usual white skin, 
received us very politely. Her house was one of the 
best I had seen in the country, the walls being plas- 
tered on the outside with mud, and internally divided 
into two apartments, with split reeds. On looking 
about, as I seated myself on a rude bench, my atten- 



146 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

tion was attracted by the occupation of a woman 
engaged in the process of cooking. The fire was 
built between three stones, which supported an iron 
kettle, into which she was depositing jerked beef 
cut into small fragments, rice, yams, and bananas, 
which, being stewed together, makes a favorite soup 
for these people ; while the smoke of the fire found 
egress through numerous apertures which are always 
left as a matter of necessity, or for that purpose, in 
these tenements. An earthen vessel, sufficiently large 
to contain ten gallons, was in one corner, filled with 
water, which not only becomes clear by the depo- 
sit of its sediment in this way, but, from evapora- 
tion on the surface as it gradually percolates, it is 
rendered considerably cooler. The apartment was 
fully occupied with barrels, boxes, and such like 
trumpery, containing various articles in common 
use, while over-head were hanging, in rich profusion, 
plantains, bananas, corn braided in strings by the 
husks, jerked beef, hams, &c, for San Antonio is a 
rich man, and provides entertainment for travellers. 
Having thus taken a cursory glance at the con- 
tents of the domicil, and finding that the natives 
were fast accumulating, I inquired for the patient, 
to which query I was answered, not a little to my 
surprise, that the sick man lived a great distance 
back from the river. On receiving this intelligence, 
I concluded it would be best to immediately return, 
and consequently started, upon which our benevo- 
lent host offered to treat, and at the same time said 
that there was a sick man, or rather two of them, in 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 147 

a rear hut, and she would like to have me prescribe 
for them, to which I readily assented, and at once 
proceeded to see the patients, mistrusting instantly 
the game, and deciding to practice accordingly. 
Having ascertained that one of the invalids was in 
the last stages of consumption, and that the other 
was afflicted with inflammation of the lungs, I return- 
ed to the presence of the handsome Senora, who im- 
mediately inquired for the nature of the diseases, 
and their remedies, to which I as promptly replied, 
that my opinion and remedies would cost her ten 
dollars. At this answer she affected great astonish- 
ment, and refused to comply with my terms ; conse- 
quently I left, and had proceeded about ten rods 
without even looking back, when I heard the call of 
Senor Medico ! and turning around, I discovered the 
messengers who had first applied to me, and who to 
this moment had kept out of sight, and of whom, I 
am sorry to say, the fair mistress had denied any 
knowledge. Finding that I was resolute in my de- 
termination not to prescribe without the stipulated 
fee, they finally counted out seven dollars and sixty 
cents in franc pieces, and imploringly begged that I 
would trust them for the balance necessary to make 
ten dollars their currency, which was acceded to ; I 
proceeded to prepare the necessary remedies, and 
directing their administration, once more started 
homeward, at the same time requesting them to send 
to me on the next day, and I would furnish still fur- 
ther means for the patients' relief. After dividing 
the money with my comrades, and purchasing 



148 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

bananas, I returned, heartily pleased with my suc- 
cessful practice, in the collection of the fee, to wait 
the result on the patients. On the third day after- 
wards I received word that the one afflicted with 
consumption had died, as I had predicted ; and 
that the other was fast getting well, so that no 
further medicines would be required, and therefore 
the value in money would be equally acceptable. 
For declining to accede to this proposition I plead 
the usages of my country, but it was not satisfac- 
tory ; and I was afterwards informed that it was their 
sanguine intention to shoot me the first time I 
passed that way. 



CHAPTEE XX. 

Why a Swiss loves his Native Country — When Days come Slow, and 
go Wearily — River Travel — How we took in Strangers, and were 
taken in Ourselves — Our Neighbors — How to preserve Beef — A 
new Patient — Seiior Sipreon's House, and what he Eat, and how 
he Cooked it — My Patient's case grows Desperate — He prepares to 
Die, but does not do it — Natives' notions of Railroads. 

A Swiss, on being asked why lie was so attached to 
his native country, answered, that there were rocks 
and mountains upon which he fixed his affections. 
That the physical aspect of a country may have 
much influence over the stability of its inhabitants, 
we have not much reason to doubt, but while the 
Swiss would attach himself to an Alpine crag, and 
never wish to be removed, I believe such is not often 
the effect with foreigners, neither is it the case on 
the Isthmus of Panama. 

When once the mountains and the valleys, the 
beasts and the birds, with the palm and the plantain, 
have become familiar things, and above all, when 
social intercourse is restricted to a narrow and un- 
congenial circle, and the mind has little occupation 
except in wandering fancies, then will the days come 
slowly, any go wearily away. Months have already 



150 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

passed since I came into this summer land of sun- 
shine and showers, and, like the climate, my duties 
have been one almost unvarying round from day to 
day, and I am beginning to appreciate, as I never 
did before, the blessed privilege enjoyed by those 
who live in a land of changing seasons, civilized so- 
ciety, and completed railroads. The fleet of boats 
which pass every two weeks, conveying passengers 
to and from Panama and (Jhagres, on the arrival of 
the steamers at these ports, is a spectacle of the 
greatest interest of any that comes under our obser- 
vation ; and it is truly wonderful sometimes to see 
the number of people going to or coming from the 
land of gold. 

On one of these occasions, about nine o'clock in 
the evening, after a rainy day, an application was 
made on behalf of " four ladies," for the privilege 
of a shelter for the night ; the party having been out 
in the rain all day, the night being dark, and the 
river rapidly rising, they had found it impossible to 
proceed any further. Of course a simple feeling of 
hospitality dictated a cordial welcome, and every 
one who could claim a cot, immediately resigned it 
to the service of the guests ; but this was not all, 
the possibility of seeing four ladies on the Isthmus, 
had not been even dreamed of, and the fact that they 
were reported genuine, was a feature of great inter- 
est, especially those who had not feasted their eyes 
on such a sight for six months. Gavino having been 
directed to put the kettle on for a cup of hot tea, 
and the steward ordered to take four of the best 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 151 

cots, with the best mosquitoe bars, and arrange them 
in the largest room np stairs, we sat down to wait 
the arrival of onr visitors. It was a period of great 
interest, and to render the prospect as fair as possi- 
ble, some one had taken the responsibility of increas- 
ing the expense of the occasion, in the way of an 
extra number of lights. Presently we heard their 
footsteps, and then in they came, but O, Jupiter"! 
what a set ; instead of four "ladies," they were but 
four women, and four babies ! ! Their wet garments 
hung about them in a manner perfectly shocldug to 
behold, or even contemplate, and they looked forlorn 
and wretched, although they may not have felt so. 
They were evidently natives of the green isle, and 
the eldest, a very sensible woman, about forty-five, 
and the mother of the four children, was on her 
way to join her husband in California, with no other 
protector than a boy about fifteen years of age. "We 
made them comfortable, and for the time, apparently 
happy, for which they were very thankful, and we 
were very glad in having been able to do so. 

A little distance from the station were situated 
two native huts, one occupied by a man and his wife, 
with almost any number of children, and the other 
by a solitary old man named Sipreon, who was es- 
teemed wealthy, owning lands very indefinitely de- 
fined, on which he cultivated a rosa, or plantation, 
back from the river, and kept a great number of 
cattle. My first interview with the old man was on 
being called to see a friend who had come to visit 
him, and fallen sick with inflammation of the lune;s. 



152 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

He had been out that day to catch a beef, and had 
it already strung up in quarters, inside his house, 
and was busy cutting it in strings to dry, as New 
England people do pumpkins. It is after being cured 
in this way, that it is sold by the yard in some places, 
and it is the only way by which it can be preserved 
in this country, for if packed in the ordinary manner, 
it will spoil in spite of salt or brine. The strips are 
cut from the muscle, or lean parts, free from fat, 
and then rolled in fine salt, and hung immediately 
in the sun to dry. 

Senor Sipreon's house was better than is usually 
found, having the thatch, on one side, extending 
nearly to the ground, making an extra room ; and it 
was in this that I found my patient, on a shelf made 
of split reeds. 

As I called from day to day, I sometimes found 
the old man preparing his homely meal, solitary 
and alone. It consisted of jerked beef, rice, yams, 
&c, stewed together, and sometimes, as an extra, a 
roasted plantain. He was at least sixty years old, 
and often told me that he had not had the fever for 
the last forty. My patient's case grew desperate, and 
I finally told the neighbor's wife, who was a relative, 
and nursed him, that I was fearful he would not 
recover: therefore, on my next visit, I found him 
dressed in white pants, hose, and a clean linen shirt ; 
but notwithstanding this unfavorable omen, I had 
the satisfaction to see him afterwards perfectly re- 
stored. ^ 

These people seemed, in some measure, interested 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 153 

in the railroad, and when platform cars were put on 
the track for moving stone and timber, they evi- 
dently, for some time, considered it the ultimatum 
of the great wonder, and would often get their friends 
together from a distance, and shove them over the 
road as far as the track was laid ; but one day I wit- 
nessed a scene of astonishment to be equalled only 
on communicating to them the fact, that rain falls 
in the United States, for a part of the year, in light 
flakes, and covers the earth white ; and that the 
rivers become solid, so that men and horses can tra- 
vel over them. A party was assembled, when a com- 
panion who had been at Xavy Bay and seen a loco- 
motive and the passenger cars, commenced a descrip- 
tion, which if as expressive in language as it was in 
gestures, as he described the motions of the engine, 
and depicted the sounds of escaping steam, and its 
velocity, it certainly must have conveyed a very ac- 
curate impression of its character; that it did, I 
have reason to believe, from the fact that the plat- 
form cars were henceiorth abandoned, and treated 
as things of the least possible consequence. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Leaving Bujio Soldado — A Day on the Chagres River — Arrival at 
Navy Bay — Visiting the Minde Swamp — Native Cooking — Gather- 
ing Cocoanuts, &e., &c. 

After three months' confinement to professional du- 
ties at Bujio Soldado, I packed up to be ready for 
the first opportunity to come down the river to Navy 
Bay. A recent attack of fever had exhausted, in a 
good degree, my small stock of vitality, and I there- 
fore resolved to take the steamer, and thus avoid the 
liability of being subjected to a night on the river, 
in an open boat, with the chances of a drenching 
rain. There are but three steamers on the Eio 
Chagres, that go up as high as Gorgona, and it was 
seldom that they ever stopped at the railroad sta- 
tions. After having waited patiently for six days, 
the glad sound of the' whistle of the steamer Mille, 
announced her approach, on her way down, she hav- 
ing passed up two days previous. I was soon on 
board, with a dozen laborers from the station, who 
had served out their time, and for the first time, per- 
haps, for weeks, were made to look cheerful, from 
the thoughts of home, each having been furnished 
with a certificate, which entitled him to a free 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 155 

passage to the States. It was truly pleasing to 
watch the sudden change from the care-worn, woe- 
begone countenance that I had observed from day 
to day, to one of comparative cheerfulness, and as 
we started off, one poor fellow, who had been sick 
and sadly frightened, gave utterance to his feelings 
in addressing me, " "Well, Doctor, I no go on the hill 
now." " On the hill " was the burying-ground. 

"We had hardly got under way, and in the full en- 
joyment of the prospect of a pleasant trip down the 
river, when I was called to prescribe for the Captain, 
who I had observed to take frequent draughts of wa- 
ter, which were invariably deposited over the guards 
into the stream again, from which it had been dip- 
ped. I found him burning with fever, yet under the 
necessity of performing the double duty of com- 
mander and pilot ; nor was this the worst of it : the 
engineer was left behind sick, the fireman had 
just " given out," and the crew consisted of but two 
men besides, and one of these was a raw Spaniard, 
who had never been upon a steamboat before, and 
unable to understand a word of English, and, conse- 
quently, when told to "come here," would be likely 
to go there, or to "haul in," would let go. This was 
an interesting state of things, truly, on board of a 
high-pressure steamer, which suggested the idea that 
the chances were about equal for a passage to Eter- 
nity, as to any place on this sphere, even Chagres. 

Happening to know a man on board who had 
steered a flat-boat down the Mississippi, I suggested 
that he should take the Captain's place at the helm, 



156 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

which was done, and the latter spread his coat upon 
the deck and laid down, while I administered the 
remedies. I next went in search of the fireman, 
whom I soon found, and put under treatment also. 
Our boat was going on swimmingly, and soon my 
patients were in the same condition, for the perspi- 
ration started out in large drops, and they were then 
relieved. Eight miles below, at Ahorca Legata, the 
steamer was to stop and take on some more men, 
that being a railroad station also, and by this time, 
the Captain was again able to take the helm. About 
the same number were taken on board here, and 
with low water in the boiler, the word was hurried- 
ly given to cast off; but the substitute for an en- 
gineer was unable to start the engine forward, the 
current caught the bow, and in a moment we were 
swept close in shore, beneath an overhanging tree, 
which struck the smoke-pipe, and it came tumbling 
down among us ; but being expert at the dodge, all 
hands escaped. To let of! the steam and put out the 
fires, was now the only alternative. This being done, 
with the help of the passengers, the pipe was again 
raised, the boiler filled, and the fire re-kindled. "We 
were flattering ourselves with the prospect of being 
soon again under way, when, lo ! the packing flew 
out, and away escaped the steam as fast as generated. 
To cool off was again indispensably necessary, in or- 
der to re-pack the boiler-head, and this measure in- 
volved a consumption of fuel which rendered it ne- 
cessary to "wood up" before leaving. To do this the 
Captain and one hand went ashore in the only small 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 157 

boat of the steamer to search for wood, which he 
was fortunate in findiDg, and in order to hasten 
matters, he accepted the services of a volunteer on 
shore to row out to us with the small boat load- 
ed, while, with his assistant, he furnished another 
load from the pile, a distance from the shore. The 
volunteer proved not to be expert in the use of oars, 
aud soon capsized, the boat going down the stream, 
while he, with a good deal of effort in the use of his 
arms and legs, finally got on shore. We were now 
in a pretty predicament, the Captain and one hand 
on shore, without any means of returning to the 
steamer, with but two hands to man the vessel, and 
not sufficient fuel to raise steam. The only expe- 
dient was hit upon, viz., to cut away and burn the 
stanchions and flag-staff; this being done, we finally 
reached the shore, "wooded up," and started once 
more on our way. I am happy to say we reached 
Chagres that night, without any further serious ad- 
ventures, and the next day, on board the Gorgona, I 
arrived at ISTavy Bay. 

On arriving here, I found it necessary that I 
should visit some native laborers at the Minde 
Swamp, a distance of about five miles, four ancTa' 
half by water, up the bay, and half a mile by land. 
Taking coffee at 6 o'clock in the morning, and in 
company with Mr. King, the superintendent, with 
good oarsmen, we started out on our daily trip. 
The morning ride was delightful ; and on reaching the 
station, we generally found breakfast prepared, 
which consisted of fried plantains, coffee, and some 



158 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

kind of salt meat, boiled yams, and sometimes pota- 
toes and hard bread. Our cook was a native ; his 
fire was by the side of a green stump near by, and 
his utensils consisted of a frying pan and a tin coffee- 
pot. To do justice to such a breakfast, it was abso- 
lutely necessary to have a good appetite, and a ride 
of four and a half miles would usually furnish this 
essential. Our house consisted of a board shanty, 
built roof shape, and divided into two apartments, 
the larger one being occupied by the natives, and 
principally for the women, children, and sick, who 
were severely afflicted with calentura, or fever, and 
the other for ourselves and the station stores, 
such as barrels of beef, pork, yams, hard bread, &c, 
&c. After prescribing for the sick, I usually amused 
myself in looking up birds of beautiful plumage, 
and blossoms of gorgeous hues, for an hour or two, 
and then return. One day on our return, we went 
into a little cove and sent the men after cocoanuts, 
which we could see in great quantities along the 
beach. They soon brought their arms full, and 
opening one we drank our till of the delicious milk, 
under the protest of one of them, who said that it 
would give us calentura. We did not experience 
any thing of the fever predicted, but before we 
reached home a squall struck us, which made me 
horribly sea sick, and effectually spoiled the relish 
of the cocoanut for that night. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

Leaving Navy Bay — The Rotting Sea and Tropic Summer without 
Chauge — The Steamer that could not go up the River, and conse- 
quently went down — A Day on the Chagres In a Canoe going up — 
Shooting Game on the River — A queer Bird — an attack of Fever. 

The period of my sojourn at Navy Bay having ex- 
pired, I left for Ahorca, Lagata, the station alluded 
to in the last chapter. 

So accustomed are we to view everything 
around us in a condition of change, that it is almost 
impossible to conceive, and more difficult to realize, 
anything really permanent. Sitting, as I often did 
at Navy Bay, to watch the waves as they rolled in 
upon the shore, I would sometimes forget that the 
sea is u restless," and wonder when it would stop. 

To those who have been accustomed to the 
changing seasons of the land of our homes, it is more 
than all else difficult to conceive of an eternal sum. 
mer — no autumn, no winter, no spring, but ceaseless, 
endless summer — with no change to mark the pro- 
gress of time but a season of drenching rains, alter- 
nating with one of scorching sunshine with the forest 
and the field ever clothed in its rich verdure of green. 



160 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

As I count the months which have already passed 
since I have been a dweller in this land, I sometimes 
unconsciously wonder why they do not come — the 
cool breezes of Autumn — but it is of no use, for they 
will never come. We are in the dominions of old 
Sol, who holds a fiery sceptre, and looks clown upon 
us daily with a burning rage, which makes poor 
mortals covet a place beneath a screen from his fierce 
e} r e. So has it been since Adam was placed in Pai- 
adise, and it may yet have been but the beginning 
of this long summer, for who knows when it will 
end ? 

In my last letter I gave you a sketch of a day on 
the Chagres, " going down," and now I must com- 
plete the account of my trip by another day, coming 
up. On leaving Navy Bay, we came around the 
point on the coast, and entered the mouth of the 
river at Chagres, in the P. P. Co.'s steamer Gorgo- 
na, to the station at Gatun. At 3 o'clock, P. M., I 
embarked on board the steamer Swan, bound up the 
river to Bujio Saldado, where I was first stationed. 
This little craft is the smallest on the river propelled 
by steam, and I found her manned by three boys. 
I was a solitary passenger, and being provided with 
a blanket, was prepared to make a night of it. But 
in this I was disappointed. "We had gone but a 
mile, when the tiller chain broke, and the command 
to "stop her," was cried out by the Captain, at the 
wheel, to prevent running into the bank, or on a 
snag. Not having an anchor aboard, we were of 
course at the mercy of the current, which, like the 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 161 

tide, as Byron lias it, "leads, God knows where"; 
but, in this case, most likely to the bottom of the 
river. To connect the ends of the chain was but a 
short job, but it was of no use, for the rudder would 
not mind the wheel after it was done ; and thus we 
floated down a mile and a half, in constant peril of 
striking a rock, a snag, or having the smoke-pipe or 
upper works swept off by overhanging trees, and in 
such an event most likely being blown up. In this 
critical state of affairs, I discovered, very much to 
my satisfaction, a small boat, which I hailed, and for 
dos pasos, which I readily counted out, I was taken 
back to the station at Gatun. In the evening, I had 
the satisfaction of hearing the little steamer puffing 
up to the landing, where she tied up for the night. 

I next embarked in a canoe, manned by two na- 
tives, an old man and his son. As I stepped into it 
with my valise, the considerate native placed a piece 
of board, about four feet long and eight or ten inches 
w T ide, in the bottom, and offering me his extra flannel 
shirt, folded for a pillow, motioned for me to lie 
down, which, however, I graciously declined, prefer- 
ring to use my overcoat for that purpose, when 
necessary, which proved to be the case before the 
day was ended. "We were well armed, the older 
hombre having a very suspicious looking musket, 
while the Koinbrecite was furnished with his machete, 
(a heavy, sword-like knife,) and I had a small fowl- 
ing-piece, which had been presented to me at the 
Bay by a sailor, to whom I had rendered a profes- 
sional service. Thus armed and equipped, we started 



162 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

up stream on a journey of eighteen miles, which took 
these hombres seven long hours to accomplish, with 
their paddles, against the strong current. I could 
not help thinking how some of my Batavia friends 
would have enjoyed my place that day, for scarce- 
ly a moment passed but some bird of beautiful 
plumage would fly past, or apparently wait upon the 
branch of a tree to be shot, or a large fat iguana, 
(an animal of the lizard species, which are frequently 
found four or five feet long,) would show himself in 
the grass, or upon the boughs of the trees over- 
hanging the stream; or perhaps a lazy alligator, 
sunning himself upon the beach, and I know not how 
many other kinds of game a sharp eye would have 
detected ; but I presume many, from the fact that 
although I kept a look-out a part of the time, yet the 
natives often signified to me by signs that game w T as 
within shot, which I could not see ; and in one in- 
stance, they hauled into the shore, and the Jiombre- 
cite grasped the musket and rushed into the thick 
bushes out of sight, and while I was w r ondering 
" what game was up," the loud report of his piece 
indicated that a death must have occurred at one end 
or the other of it at least. My curiosity was soon 
relieved by his return, dragging along a guarro, or 
wild hog, which the natives consider a great delicacy. 
"Wild turkeys were very numerous, as well as par- 
rots and paroquets, but my back gave very sensible 
signs of approaching fever, and I was too intent upon 
arriving at my destination to give it rest, to improve, 
with any great degree of zest, the opportunity, 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 163 

although I took off the heads of a couple of large 
iguano, and clipped on the wing a peculiar, long- 
necked, soldier-like bird, which falling into the water, 
we took in. On examination I found one wing in- 
jured, which I dressed as best I could, for which 
kindness he seemed to like my company, and stood 
up with his head erect, peering at me the rest of the 
way; but when we landed, he very deliberately 
walked off, as much as to say, " I don't care longer 
to continue your acquaintance." 

As I anticipated, I had hardly arrived at my 
quarters, ere a burning fever set in, and I reeled to 
my cot, to remain in something more than tolerable 
temperature for the night ; but thanks to the sover- 
eign remedy, quinine, I had no return of it the next 
day. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Ahorca Lagata — A Thunder Storm — Another Visit to Chagres — Ap- 
pearance of Manzanilla, going out the Harbor — Capt. Chapmau 
and his Adventures — A Wreck of Humanity — A trip down the Bay 
after Shells — A speck at Sea, and what it turned out to be — De- 
parture Homeward. 

Ahorca Lagata signifies, according to the natives' 
version, " to hang a cat ;" but when, or under what 
circumstances such a sentence was executed on a 
member of the feline race, tradition says not. 

The station is situated on a narrow point between 
the Chagres river and a deep ravine, and is the first 
place where that stream comes to view after leaving 
Gatun by the railroad. It is as wild a place as 
need be at any time, but especially so during the 
rainy season, when the showers are frequent, and the 
vivid glare of the lightning dazzles the eye, and the 
loud peals of thunder break upon the ear with a 
deafening crash, and the rain comes down as though 
the clouds had felt the shock and deposited their 
contents in one mighty torrent. 

The work having become nearly completed and 
the laborers transferred to other stations, or returned 
to the States, it became no longer necessary for me to 






THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 165 

remain, consequently I improved the first opportuni- 
ty to come down the river to N"avy Bay and remain 
until the time should come on which I was to em- 
bark on my homeward voyage. "When the time 
was once set on which I was to leave the Isthmus, 
how wearily, oh ! how wearily did those days pass 
on which I waited the arrival of the steamer that 
was to bear me away to the old familiar scenes of 
other days, that a tropic sun had brightened on my 
memory — so far, far away in the Eprth. It seemed 
as though swift-winged time had stayed her progress, 
and was determined not to go on, without the slight- 
est regard for my wishes. 

After a few of the days so anxiously to be dispos- 
ed of were passed, I availed myself of an opportuni- 
ty by the Gorgona to once more visit Chagres. The 
morning was clear and beautiful, and as we moved 
out from the harbor, the sun, which had just risen 
from his golden-fringed hammock in the east, shed 
down such a flood of light ujdoii the little settlement 
of JSTavy Bay, that, with its white houses and scat- 
tered cocoanut trees, it looked more than ever like 
a fairy scene just opening to the view, contrasting 
widely with the opposite shore, skirted by the almost 
impenetrable forest, the dark emerald green foliage 
of which gently fluttered in the morning air, reveal- 
ing the dew-drops as they glittered in the sunbeams. 

Being fairly under way, Capt. Chapman, who had 
the temporary charge of the Gorgona, seated him- 
self on the hurricane deck, at his usual look-out, and 
commenced turning over to me the pages of his large 



166 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

volume of unpublished adventures, which had occur- 
red during the many years he had spent upon 
the seas, in which time he had made more than 
twenty voyages from the port of ISTew York to the 
coast of South America. The topic had turned to 
the recent burning of the steam propeller La Fayette, 
at Chagres, which he had endeavored to tow into 
shoal water while her hull was but one great chal- 
dron, from which streamed forth the livid flame, 
casting its lurid glare upon all surrounding objects ; 
but in this he was unsuccessful, and she went down 
with all that was valuable in her beyond the hopes 
of wreckers. This led to the wrecking by him of a 
vessel up the coast, a few years since, on which he 
found, as part of the cargo, a large number of cases 
of tropical birds, beautifully prepared, and shipped 
for England by a gentleman at Bogota. The orni- 
thological specimens, although beautiful, he did not 
deem convertible into cash, nor good to eat, so he 
consigned them to the deep, in his search for more 
valuable salvage ; in which, however, he was not 
very successful, and therefore left the vessel to go 
to pieces on the reef, not much richer than when he 
found her, to learn afterwards, that the birds he had 
thrown overboard were worth the moderate sum of 
thirty thousand dollars. 

On arriving at Chagres, as I was passing through 
one of the public houses, I observed on a settee a 
miserable wreck of humanity, whom I discovered, as 
he accosted me, to be one of the hands that was on 
the Swan at the time of going up the river, and who 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 167 

commenced singing and dancing " Jump Jim Crow" 
when we were in our worst plight. On inquiring 
the cause of his present condition, I learned that he 
had been capsized and nearly crushed to death in 
attempting to save the Swan, which some rascal had 
cut loose from her moorings at Chagres, to float out 
to sea, and was perhaps more totally wrecked than 
himself. One of our party having called for me, I 
hastily administered my most consoling " hopes" 
that his " hull" would bear repairs, and started for 
the door, which I had hardly reached when he hailed 
me again : " Doctor, you remember the Captain of 
the Mille, you came down the river with ?" " Yes." 
" Well, he is dead." He uttered this in such a tone 
of despair, and at the same time dropping his head, 
that I could not help pitying him, notwithstanding 
the hardihood he had exhibited on the former occa- 
sion. I turned away and thought of what the Cap- 
tain of the Mille had said when I saw him last — 
and now that he was dead ! 

I have been down the Bay since then, and as I 
was strolling along the beach, picking up shells, 
which are found here in great variety, I sat down to 
rest, and looking out upon the water I saw a nauti- 
lus, and as I watched it, tossing upon the rippling 
sea, I thought how strangely it was like man, tossing 
about upon the sea of life ; and watching still, as it 
came near, to my surprise a heavy ripple threw it 
on the shore, from which I thought it must be dead ; 
but it was not, yet its rippled race was run, and as 
I examined it, the thought was forced upon me, if I, 



168 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

too, should stand upon the shore of time, would there 
not a being as unlike, and superior, stand upon that 
shore to receive me ? With these thoughts I turned 
away, and espied near by an alligator, and as I looked 
at him he opened his mouth as though he was under 
the impression that I was good to eat ; but picking up 
a large pebble, I luckily tossed it down his throat, 
which he evidently considered a sample of the hard- 
ness of my heart, and altered his mind, and made way 
for the Mincle river, which was near at hand. * * 

When that dark speck appeared away out where 
the horizon meets the sea, and grew more and more 
distinct, I wondered if it were possible that it would 
bear me home. And as I watched it still, I became 
convinced of what I could not realize, for it was the 
Ohio, riding proudly by to her moorings at Chagres. 
When once more, and for the last time, I looked 
back from the Gorgona upon Manzanilla and her 
beautiful harbor, I thought that I would love again, 
at some distant day, to view this scene and mark 
the change that time and enterprise will soon make 
there. That time is not far hence when the readers 
of this will view the scene I have attempted to 
describe, though I may not. When once more my 
footsteps were upon the deck of the good ship Ohio, 
I felt that familiar things were about me, and they 
reminded me more vividly of home — and my 
thoughts went homeward. 



CHAPTEK XXIY. 

Jamaica — The Harbor at Kingston — Water Imps — Fruits — A Ride 
to Spanish Town — How we got a Dinner and paid for it — The 
Public Square — Desolation. 

On the morning of the fourth day after leaving 
Chagres, we made the island of Jamaica, and as we 
sailed along the coast, the mountains seemed to rear 
their heads higher and higher, and to appear more 
and more barren, while, on the lowlands, the vegeta- 
tion became more and more distinct and luxuriant in 
appearance, until we entered the harbor of Kingston. 
This harbor is one of Nature's very singular and be- 
neficent provisions for the necessities of our race. 
Across the mouth of a shallow bay, a narrow break- 
water extends from one point nearly to the other, a 
distance of about four miles, leaving barely room 
for the convenient passage of vessels in and out. 
Upon the end of this natural embankment is situated 
a fortification, having full command of the entrance. 
So low is this point, the surface being scarcely above 
the level of the sea, and few of the edifices more than 
one story, with the low ranges of batteries radiating 
in every direction seaward, that its appearance is 
altogether comical compared with the more formi- 



170 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

dable works usually to be seen upon the entrance of 
the old Spanish ports ; yet, with its white sand beach, 
skirted with cocoanut trees, it makes an exceedingly 
pleasant impression. On entering the harbor the 
sailing course is along parallel with the breakwater, 
about four miles, to Kingston, which lies on the main 
coast upon the left hand. The harbor, in its whole 
length, is about five miles, and, on an average, I 
should think two wide. Kingston is a fair sample of 
an old Spanish town going to decay, with here and 
there a prop from English enterprise, contrasting 
strongly with everything native. The population is 
said to be about 60,000 or 70,000, mostly Creoles 
and negroes, with here and there an English face, 
that does not seem altogether at home. 

Scarcely had our ship made fast before a swarm 
of little imps appeared in the sea about her, calling 
out to the passengers, " Massa, give me a dime ?" 
While wondering how the request could be complied 
with, if so benevolently inclined, some one will teach 
the lesson by skipping one at as great a distance as 
possible from them, to see the sport of their struggle 
to obtain it, which they are sure to do, by turning 
in the water with the expertness of an eel, and fol- 
lowing the course of the glittering coin, which is 
usually grasped before it reaches the bottom, and 
exhibited on rising to the surface, and then stowed 
away in the mouth. The pier was soon loaded with 
baskets of every conceivable size and shape, contain- 
ing oranges, lemons, mangoes, and many other fruits 
and nuts, while bananas, pine apples, &c, were 



THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 171 

piled about in rich profusion, with gorgeous " turk's 
heads," and other tropical plants and fruits, all of 
which onr ship was soon made to bear in great quan- 
tities, giving its deck much the appearance of a 
floating garden. The delicious sweet chirimoya, or 
" sweet sop," as it is familiarly called, is to be found 
here in its greatest perfection, resembling very much 
a custard, but of a more delicate flavor. Mangoes 
are divided numerically into eleven qualities or 
kinds, the eleventh being the smallest and choicest 
fruit. On going ashore, we found the carriage pass 
closed by a heavy gate, and consequently were 
obliged to make our entree to the street, first, through 
a long shop, overflowing with all kinds of knick- 
nacks, and from thence through a drinking saloon, 
out a narrow door, between two sable sentinels, 
whose eyes glistened scarcely less than their polish- 
ed arms. 

Wandering about the town, we stumbled upon, 
or rather into, the railroad depot, and finding a train 
of cars would soo:: leave for Spanish Town, the 
seat of government, "ve took our seats in one for a 
ride, having first paid three shillings sterling, each, 
while the common people were privileged, in the 
car next to us, for one. The road runs near the 
coast most of the way, on low ground, and therefore 
not much cultivated ; but along either side was a 
hedge of aloes, which, with their thick leaves armed 
with thorns sticking out in every direction, presented 
a very formidable obstacle to get over; indeed, we 
believe a locomotive was never known to run into 
them. 



172 THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA. 

On arriving at Spanish Town, distant thirteen 
miles from Kingston, we took a vehicle and requested 
to be drove to the best hotel in the place, and accord- 
ingly were soon left upon the veranda of an old 
building that was evidently more worn out by time 
that use. At first we were in doubt whether or not 
the place was inhabited, but finally a boy appeared 
to whom we gave our order for a dinner for three. 
The idea seemed to astonish him at first, but he 
finally recovered his composure, and soon the pre- 
parations were seen in a state of progress. Our din- 
ner was really a good one, for which a formidable 
bill of items was presented, amounting in all to 
11. 10s. 6d. sterling. Travellers may always be sure 
that if they order anything here, without stipulating 
a price, it will be " calculated" they are able to pay 
a large one. 

On our way to the depot, we strolled through the 
public square, which occupies one block, and faced 
upon the four sides by the public buildings, which 
are as quaint and old as need be, yet erected with a 
good deal of pretence to elegance, originally. In 
front of one, which I took to be the Governor's pa- 
lace, were two more of the sable race in regimentals 
— yet evidently for custom's sake, for they were the 
only individuals in sight, although we walked about 
the square, examining the flowers and plants (for it 
is a gaiden) nearly half an hour. ¥e left the city, 
feeling that it had, indeed, been deserted. 



APPENDIX No. 1. 



Meteorological Journal kept at Manzanilla Island, New Gran- 
ada, Lat. 9° 21" north, Long. 79° 59" west, from Greenwich, 
during the months of June, July, August and September, 1851, 
By E. L. BERTHOUD, Civil Engineer. 

Method of Observation. — The force of the wind is estimat- 
ed in numbers, being a calm, 1 a very light breeze, 2 a gentle 
breeze, 3 a fresh breeze, 4 a strong wind, &c. The clearness of 
the sky will also be marked in numbers, representing entire 
cloudiness, 1 a slight degree of clearness, and so on till 10 entire 
clearness. The force of the wind is put after the course — thus, 
for example, if the wind is from the S. W. strong, it will be set 
down S. W. 4. 



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APPENDIX No. 2. 

For the interest of those who intend crossing the Isthmus of 
Panama, I have inquired at the office of the Panama Railroad 
Co., in this city, to ascertain the present stage in the progress of 
that work, and how far it is made to serve the interest of the 
travelling public. 

The track has been mostly laid for some time from Navy 
Bay to Bujio Soldado, a distance of about twenty miles by the 
Railroad, and thirty -five miles up the river, from Chagres. The 
only point incomplete is that between Gatun and Ahorca Lagata, 
where the work was delayed in a measure by the rainy season. 

Probably before the first day of January, 1852, the cars will 
be running from Navy Bay to Ahorca Lagata, or Bujio Soldado 
and from thence passengers will be obliged to employ small boats 
for the remaining distance to Gorgona. During the dry season 
which embraces the months of December, January February, 
March and April, the road between Gorgona and Panama, a dis- 
tance of about twenty miles, is a good one for transit by mules, 
which is the only land conveyance in this country. 

With the commencement of the present dry season, the 
Panama Railroad Co. put on the road an increased number of 
men, and the work is now being pushed forward with the ut- 
most energy, and it without doubt will be completed to the river 
crossing at Gorgona, by the first of May next, if not before 
that time. 

Whatever may be the inconveniences and difficulties encoun- 
tered in crossing the Isthmus of Panama at present, the public 



180 APPENDIX. 

may be assured that it is by far the shortest, cheapest, and every 
way best route to the Pacific, and especially for those who go to 
California, and must carry a considerable amount of luggage. 

The necessary expense in crossing the Isthmus varies from 
$25 to $35, according to circumstances, and the amount of 
luggage for such individual. 

New York, Dec. 16th, 1851. 



. 



UG 18-f3<7 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 

l!l!l!!S!»IS!!HI!!iII!»llJ!!!!!!!IRI!i 

015 842 843 A 



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